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FOUNDED  BY  I     GOLDWIJ^SMITH 

HARRIJBT°S>\ITH 


it 


A    RECORD    OF    THE 

PARISH    OF    PADWORTH 
AND    ITS    INHABITANTS. 


Compiles  cbietl^  from  ©nginal 
Documents    b£  fl&an>  Sbarp. 


EDITED  BY  W.  O.  CLINTON. 


(PRINTED  PRIVATELY). 
BRADLEY  &  SON,  LTD.,  4  &  6,  THE  FORBURY,  READING. 

MCMXI. 


10 

P-33S? 


TO     THE     PEOPLE    OF    PADWORTH 


§24569 


AN    OPEN   LETTER   TO   THE    READER. 

A  few  words  seem  called  for,  to  explain  the  great 
variety  of  spelling  that  will  be  met  with  in  the  follow- 
ing pages,  especially  in  the  case  of  Proper  Names. 
A  conspicuous  instance  of  this  will  be  noticed  in  the 
name  of  the  Parish  itself  (pages  103-4).  The  explana- 
tion is  simple.  As  stated  on  the  Title  Page,  the 
intention  of  the  Authors  has  been  to  take  their 
information,  as  much  as  possible,  from  original  docu- 
ments and,  in  doing  so,  the  narrative  seemed  to  them 
to  gain  force  as  well  as  picturesqueness,  by  a  strict 
adherence  to  the  orthography  as  well  as  to  the  language 
of  contemporary  writers.  Uniformity  in  spelling  is  a 
comparatively  modern  practice  and,  especially  before 
the  invention  of  printing  and  the  use  of  dictionaries, 
it  was  neither  expected  nor  observed  even  by  the 
educated  classes. 

The  thanks  of  the  Authors  are  due  to  many 
friends  for  help  given  in  the  task  of  collecting  necessary 
materials  ;  especially  they  wish  to » mention  Miss  Curtis 
and  Miss  Butler,  daughters  of  former  Rectors  of 
Padworth,  Miss  Davidson  of  Silchester,  Mr.  Jervoise 
of  Herriard  Park,  and  Mr.  Money,  F.S.A.,  from  whose 
well-known  works  they  have  quoted  more  than  once  ; 
also  Mr.  H.  G.  Willink  and  others  for  their  kindness  in 
helping  with  the  Illustrations,  and  lastly  Major  Darby 
Griffith  who  has  most  generously  allowed  them  access 
to  private  sources  of  information,  thus  adding  very 
much  to  the  interest  of  the  story. 

They  venture  to  hope  in  conclusion,  that  this 
little  fragment  of  local  history  may  be  fortunate 
enough  to  give  something  of  the  pleasure  to  others  to 
read  (who  like  themselves  have  learnt  to  love  the 
scenes  among  which  they  have  lived),  as  it  has  given 
to  themselves  to  write  it. 

M.  S.  and  W.  O.  C. 
December  315^,   1911. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  PARISH  CHURCH. — Norman  Architecture,  Roof  of  Nave, 
Belfry,  Two  Doorways,  Porch,  Font,  Windows,  Piscina,  Aumbry  or 
Locker,  East  Window,  Painting  of  Crucifixion,  Consecration  Crosses, 
Painting  of  St.  Nicholas,  Stone  Altar,  Rood  Screen,  Gallery,  Tiles, 
Bells,  Seating,  Churchyard,  Lych  Gate. — pp.  I  to  31. 

CHAPTER   II. 

THE  RECTORS. — Patrons,  Alien  Priories,  Priory  of  Sherborne, 
List  of  Institutions,  Crown  Presentations,  Dispute  concerning 
Tithes,  Lists  of  Curates,  Churchwardens,  Overseers  of  the  Poor, 
Sidesmen,  Parish  Clerks. — pp.  32  to  56. 

CHAPTER   III. 

MONUMENTAL  INSCRIPTIONS. — STAINED  GLASS. — PARISH  REGIS- 
TERS.— Entries  of  Lords  of  the  Manor  and  Rectors  and  Families, 
etc.,  Old  Register,  Sarum  Transcript,  Loose  Leaves,  Mr.  Butler's 
Copy,  Printed  Registers,  A  Terrier  of  Glebe  Lands,  Churchwardens' 
Accounts. — pp.  57  to  101. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  LANDOWNERS  AND  LORDS  OF  THE  MANORS  OF  PADWORTH.— 
HUSSEE'S  MANOR. — COWDRAY'S  MANOR. — Abingdon  Charters, 
Domesday  Book,  Cowdray  Family,  Manor  of  Heryerd,  Grand 
Sergeantry,  Sir  Peter  Cowdray,  Thomas  Cowdray,  Court  Baron, 
Family  of  Littlefields,  Sale  of  Estates  to  Thomas  Brightwell, 
Samuel  Brightwell,  Loftus  Brightwell,  Dr.  Chicheley,  Christopher 
Griffith,  Mrs.  Catherine  Griffith,  General  Darby  Griffith. — pp.  102  to 
148. 

Notes  of  the  Descendants  of  the  Families  of  de  la  Hoese  and  Collee 
—Cowdray — Littlefield — Brightwell — Griffiith. 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  PARISH. — Limits,  Population,  Grimmer 's  Bank,  Congre- 
gational Chapel  of  Mortimer  West,  Waste  Lands  or  Common, 
Common  Fields,  Court  Roll  1524,  Court  Roll  1656,  Enclosure  Act, 
Canal,  Mills,  Dwelling-houses,  Pam  Hall,  Manor  House,  Padworth 
Wills,  Skirmish  in  Padworth  Gully,  Hailstorm,  Murder  of  William 
Billimore,  Superstitions. — pp.  149^0  185. 
Addenda  pp.  186  to  193.  Field  Names  and  Map  pp.  194 — 195. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Pad  worth  Common,  from  sketch  by  M.S. 

Carved  Fragment,  from  photograph  by  M.  Adams see  below 

The  Church,  1889,  Messrs.  Prothero,  Middleton  &  Phillott,  Cheltenham      ... 
The  Church,  1890,  from  photograph  by  J.T.S. 

The  Church,  after  1890,  from  photograph  by  H.  Lewis          

Details  of  Capitals  of  Chancel  Arch,  from   photograph    by  M.   Adams... 

The  Font ...pages 

South  Door  of  Church,  1889,  from  photograph  by  J.T.S. 

West  End  of  Church,  1889,  from  photograph  by  J.T.S. 

Exterior  of  Church  (South  East)  before  1890,  from  photograph  by  J.T.S — 

Exterior  of  Church  (South  East)  after  1890,  from  photograph  byH.  Lewis 

Tracing  of  Mr.  Buckler's  drawing  of  Church,  1819 

Painting  of  Crucifixion  on  Apse,  from  sketch  by  M.S. 

Painting  of  St.  Nicholas,  from  sketch  by  M.S.  

Interior  of  Church  (West  End)  before  1890,  from  photograph  by  J.T.S.     ... 

Reversed  Letter  on  Old  Bell        page  31 

Pamber  Priory,  from  photograph  by  J.  Thatcher        ...          ...          ...          ...     xiv. 

Wooden  Effigy  of  Henry  de  Port,  from  photograph  by  J.  Thatcher  ...      xv. 

Pattern  of  Old  Tile  page  56 

Edward  Hobbs,  Parish  Clerk,   1871-1911,  from  photograph  by  W.L.C.    ...     xvi. 

Fragments  of  Low  Window         page  101 

Cowdray  Seals,  from  photograph,  by  permission  of  Mr.  Jervoise         ...          ...  xvii. 

Cowdray  Deed,  ditto  ditto  xviii. 

Church  Plate,  from  photograph  by  M.  Adams...          ...          ...          ...          ...     xix. 

Portrait  of  Archbishop  Chicheley  in  Glass,  at  Lower  Lodge  xx. 

Christopher  Griffith,  from  picture  at  Padworth  House  ...          ...          ...     xxi. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Griffith,  from  picture  at  Padworth  House      ...          ...          ...   xxii. 

Matthew  Chitty  Darby  Griffith,  from  picture  at  Padworth  House   ...          ...  xxiii. 

Old  Inhabitants,  from  photograph  by  F.E.C.  and  W.L.C.     ...          ...          ...  xxiv 

Cottages  on  Padworth  Common,  from  sketch  by  M.G.W.      ...          ...          ...  xxv. 

The  "  A  "  Clump,  1906,  from  photograph  by  J.  Thatcher     ...          ...          ...  xxvi 

Padworth  Mill,  1895,  from  sketch  by  M.S.        ...          ...          ...          ...          ...xxvii. 

Padworth  Rectory,  from  photograph  by  V.M.  ...          ...          ...  xxviii. 

Padworth  House,  1911,  from  photograph,  M.  Adams...          ...          ...          ...  xxix. 

Map,  by  permission,  from  Ordnance  Survey     ...          ...          ...          ...          ...   xxx. 


Carved   Fragment  (see  page  n 


s 


fl 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE   PARISH   CHURCH. 

The  Parish  Church  of  Padworth  is  dedicated  to 
St.  John  the  Baptist.  It  is  to  be  remarked, 
however,  that  there  is  no  mention  of  any  patron 
Saint  in  the  Diocesan  records  concerning  it,  and 
it  is  not  clear  at  how  early  a  date  the  name  of  this 
Saint  became  associated  with  it  ;  but  in  the  year 
1550,  in  the  will  of  John  Sylvester  of  Padworth, 
he  gives  directions  for  his  burial  in  the  Parishc 
Churche  of  St.  John  Baptiste,  showing  that  at 
that  time  it  was  so  named. (') 

It  is  a  structure  of  great  antiquity,  possibly 
dating  in  its  earliest  parts  from  Saxon  times. 
The  first  documentary  record  found  of  it  is  in 
1291-2,  when  the  tenth  of  the  revenue  of  its 
endowment  was  returned  as  amounting  to  £4.  6.  8. 
(equal,  according  to  the  present  value  of  money, 
to  about  £95.  6.  8).  This  was  on  the  occasion 
of  the  taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  II.,  who  granted 
the  tenth  of  the  Ecclesiastical  benefices  in  1288 
to  Edward  I.  for  six  years  to  help  towards  defraying 
the  expenses  of  the  Crusade  in  the  Holy  Land, 
then  going  on.(2) 

The  building  is  a  small  one,  consisting  of  a  nave 
and  chancel  with  an  apsidal  termination.  The 
nave  measures  inside,  32ft.  long  by  about  igit. 
wide.  The  chancel,  including  the  Apse,  measures 
i8ft.  loin.  ;  its  width  is  i6ft.  as  far  as  the  chord 
of  the  Apse,  at  which  point  the  inner  line  of  the 
walls  is  set  forward  to  the  width  of  6  inches  on 
each  side,  so  that  the  Apse,  at  its  opening,  is  one 

(1)  Padworth  Wills. — Archives  of  Berks.     B.  112.      1550. 

(2)  Taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas — A.D.  1291. 


2  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

foot  narrower  than  the  rest  of  the  chancel,  although 
there  is  no  variation  in  the  line  of  the  outer  walls. 
The  semi-circular  termination  described  as  an 
Apse  is  of  very  frequent  occurrence  in  churches  of 
Norman  Architecture,  though  in  Berkshire  it  is 
only  found  in  two  other  churches — at  Finchamp- 
stead  and  Remenham.  Mr.  Money  says  :— 

The  idea  of  the  construction  of  an  Apse  was  to  allow  the  priest 
or  bishop  to  consecrate  behind  the  altar  and  even  after  a  change 
in  ritual  had  taken  place  in  the  Twelfth  Century,  the  altar  still 
continued  to  be  kept  forward  in  many  churches,  (i) 

But  the  design  is  also  undoubtedly  of  Roman 
origin  :  the  form  of  the  earliest  Christian  Churches, 
as  is  well  known,  was  copied  from  that  of  the 
Basilicas  of  the  Roman  Empire.  These  were  large 
Halls  used  for  Justice,  Exchange,  and  other  public 
business  :  they  corresponded  in  fact  to  our  modern 
Town  Halls.  In  these  buildings  a  semi-circular 
recess  was  usually  provided  at  one  or  both  ends 
for  the  seat  of  the  presiding  Magistrate  ;  in  the 
case  of  a  trial,  the  accused  person  and  the  wit- 
nesses stood  in  front  of  a  rail  (Cancellum)  which 
was  placed  at  the  chord  of  the  Apse.  Both  this 
and  also  its  application  to  Christian  use  is  exempli- 
fied in  the  interesting  remains  of  the  Roman 
town  of  Silchester,  about  three  miles  distant 
from  Padworth.  There  one  whole  side  of  the 
Forum  or  Market  Place  is  occupied  by  the  Basilica, 
and  at  each  end  can  still  be  traced  the  semi- 
circular foundations  of  the  wall  of  the  Exedra, 
or  Apse,  where  the  Judges  presided  and  also  those 
vvhich  supported  the  Cancellum,  or  railing,  in  front. 

But  still  more  interesting  is  the  fact  that,  just 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  Forum,  there  were 
uncovered,  in  the  year  1892,  the  foundations  of  a 
much  smaller  building,  also  terminating  in  an 

(i)   Reading  Mercury  November  1890. 


111. 


\ 


IV. 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH.  3 

Apse,  which,  from  various  indications,  has  been 
pronounced  by  good  authorities  to  be  the  remains 
of  a  Christian  Church.  Though  these  foundations 
have  since  been  covered  up,  a  complete  record  of 
them  can  be  seen  in  the  Reading  Museum,  and 
also  drawings  and  photographs  in  the  publications 
of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  (T) — and  from  these 
they  will  be  readily  recognised  as  being  of  the  same 
form  as  the  earliest  Christian  Churches  still 
existing  in  Rome  and  elsewhere. 

Thus  we  have  here  close  at  hand  a  type  of 

primitive  Christian  Church  Architecture,  and  also 

that  of  the  Pagan  Hall  of  Justice  from  which  it 

was  developed. 

Roof  of         The  roof  of  the  Chancel  and  Apse  of  Padworth 

Chancel. 

Church  is  considerably  lower  than  that  of  the 
Nave,  and  the  inside  vaulting  is  lower  still,  so 
much  so  that  between  the  roof  and  the  vaulting 
there  is  a  space  having  a  round-headed  opening 
resembling  that  for  a  window,  into  the  Nave  over 
the  Chancel  Arch  :  it  is  now  closed  by  a  door. 
The  vaulting  is  made  of  bricks,  apparently 
Roman,  and  if  so,  no  doubt  taken  from  the  neigh- 
bouring City  of  Silchester,  which,  at  the  time  of 
the  building  of  the  Church,  had  long  been  deserted 
and  was  used  as  a  quarry  from  which  building 
materials  required  in  the  surrounding  districts 
were  freely  taken. 

chancel  The  Nave  is  divided  from  the  Chancel  by  a  fine 
Norman  Arch  supported  by  double  columns  on 
each  side  with  richly  carved  capitals. 

Root  of         The  Roof  of  the  Nave  is  of  oak,  of  the  shape 

Nave. 

called  a  Cradle  Roof.  It  was  exposed  to  view  in 
1881,  having  been  previously  hidden  by  a  plaster 
ceiling. 

(i)  Excavations  at  Silchester.      1892.     p.  25, 


4  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,     PADWORTH. 

The  immediate  cause  of  the  removal  of  the 
ceiling  was  the  great  snow-storm  on  the  i8th  of 
January  of  that  year,  when  the  snow  penetrating 
the  roof,  broke  down  the  plaster  work. 
Belfry.  ^  shingle-covered  Belfry,  roofed  with  a  low 
tiled  Spire,  is  supported  by  a  framework  of  heavy 
oaken  timbers  standing  inside  the  Nave  at  its 
western  end.  This  arrangement  is  frequent  in 
the  district  where  timber  was  more  easily 

*/ 

procured  than  stone.     It  may  be  seen  at  Silchester 

and  Aldermaston  and,  before  recent  alterations, 

•. 

it  existed  also  at  Englefield  and  in   many   other 
places. 

Doorways.  There  are  two  doorways  opposite  each  other,  near 
the  Western  end  of  the  Nave,  in  the  North  and 
South  walls.  They  are  both  round-headed  and 
framed  with  very  ornamental  mouldings  and  with 
columns  and  capitals,  the  South  doorway  being 
the  handsomer  of  the  two. 

On  each  side,  in  the  thickness  of  the  inner  wall/1) 
are  bar-holes  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  and  with- 
drawing the  stout  oak  bar,  or  staple,  by  which  the 
door  could  be  secured.  These  openings  are  about 
four  feet  from  the  ground  and  run  horizontally 
into  the  wall,  six  feet  on  one  side  and  only  six 
inches  on  the  other.  Roman  tiles  form  part 
of  the  lining  of  these  holes.  The  woodwork 
of  the  doors  is  modern.  An  old  door,  however, 
was  in  its  place  in  the  North  wall  when  the 
Church  was  restored  in  1890  ;  it  had  been  hidden 
by  the  brickwork  and  plaster  inside  and  out 
but,  when  uncovered,  it  was  found  to  be  in  too 
unsound  a  state  for  use. 
The  explanation  sometimes  given  of  the  arrange- 

(i)  The  walls  are  of  large  flints  throughout,  and  some  three  feet  thick. 


SOUTH    SIDE. 


NORTH    SIDE. 


DETAILS    OF   CAPITAL   OF   CHANCEL    ARCH. 


VI. 


SOUTH    DOOR    OF   CHURCH,    1889. 


WEST    END    OF    CHURCH,    1889. 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,     PADWORTH.  5 

ment  of  two  doors  opposite  each  other,  which  is 
very  common,  is  that  they  were  meant  to  be  used 
by  men  and  women  separately,  at  a  time  when  the 
sexes  occupied  opposite  sides  of  the  Church. 
The  Porch.  There  does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  Porch 
originally.  The  present  Porch  was  built  in  1890, 
replacing  one  of  brick  which  may  have  been 
about  a  hundred  years  old.  The  style  known  as 
post  and  pan — that  is  a  framework  filled  in  with 
brick  and  plaster — was  adopted,  in  order  to  avoid 
any  appearance  of  imitation  of  the  older  work, 
and  that  the  addition  might  have  a  separate  and 
modern  character,  though,  at  the  same  time, 
simple  and  inoffensive. 

The  Font.  The  original  Font  stood  probably  much  on  the 
same  spot  now  occupied  by  the  modern  one. 
It  was  removed  and  replaced  by  that  now  in  the 
Church  in  the  time  of  a  former  Rector — Mr. 
Curtis— and,  as  is  reported  among  the  parishioners, 
was  buried  somewhere  in  the  Churchyard  ;  search 
for  it  has,  however,  been  hitherto  fruitless. 
Fortunately  there  exists  a  record  of  its  appear- 
ance in  some  manuscript 
notes  written  by  a  Mr. 
Suckling,  sometime  between 
1821  and  1839,  in  which  he 
has  given  a  sketch,  here 
reproduced. (J)  It  is  distinctly  Norman  in  style, 
and  was  probably  contemporary  with  the  building 
of  the  Church. 

The  The  small  round-headed  window  in  the  West 

iows'    wall  of  the  Nave  is  in  its  original  position  and 

(i)    Suckling's  Collection  for  Berks. — British  Museum — Add.  MSS.  18. 
489-490-491. 


6  THE   PARISH    CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH. 

unchanged  in  form.  It  is  the  only  one  in  the 
Church  which  has  survived  unaltered  since  its 
erection  in  Norman  times.  The  glass  is,  of  course, 
not  Norman  but  it  is  thought  nevertheless  to  be 
of  considerable  antiquity. 

The  two  windows  in  the  Nave  of  three  lights 
each,  date  probably  from  Tudor  times  or  later  ; 
it  is  hard  to  fix  their  period  as  the  mouldings  are 
so  very  simple.  They  no  doubt  replaced  smaller 
windows  of  the  Norman  style,  and  they  answer 
the  purpose  probably  intended  of  giving  more 
light  inside  the  Church,  but  beyond  that  little 
can  be  said  in  their  praise. 

Historical  evidence  suggests  that  these  and 
other  alterations  may  have  been  the  work  of  the 
first  Brightwell — Lord  of  the  Manor — who  became 
possessed  of  the  Estate  in  1655,  after  an 
interregnum  of  some  length  following  on  the 
death  of  the  last  of  the  Cowdrays  in  1528. (') 

Passing  on  to  the  Chancel  we  find,  in  the  North 
and  South  walls,  East  of  the  Chancel  Arch  and 
close  to  it,  two  windows  of  two  lights  each.  They 
are  peculiar,  and  have  given  rise  to  much  discus- 
sion. 

The  stonework  of  the  lights  is  modern,  having 
been  put  up  in  1890  to  replace  a  framework  of 
common  deal  of  a  pattern  intended  for  Gothic 
but  of  a  very  paltry  description,  attributable 
probably  to  the  beginning  of  the  XIXth  Century. 
The  present  windows  occupy  only  the  lower  part 
of  round-headed  recesses  which  in  shape  and  size 
have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  them.  In  1854 
the  recesses  extended  no  lower  than  the  present 
modern  panelling,  that  is,  to  about  four  feet  from 

(i)  See  Chapter  IV, 


Vlll. 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH.  7 

the  ground  ;  but  at  that  date,  the  Rector — Mr. 
Curtis — opened  them  out  down  to  the  floor  in 
order  to  give  more  space  in  the  Chancel. 

Do  these  round-headed  recesses  occupy  the 
position  of  original  Norman  windows  ? 

When  we  recall  the  usual  arrangement  of  lights 
in  a  Norman  Apse — namely,  that  of  three  small 
windows,  one  on  each  side  and  one  at  the  East 
end — and  when  we  realise  how  very  dark  the 
Chancel  would  have  been  if  the  single  East  window 
now  existing,  of  undoubted  Norman  origin,  had 
been  the  only  one,  the  probability  seems  to  be 
that  these  recesses  do  occupy  the  position  men- 
tioned. 

It  is  true  that  they  have  quite  lost  their  original 
character  :  they  are  much  larger  than  the  Norman 
windows  are  likely  to  have  been,  and  it  is  also  true 
that  the  heads,  or  caps,  of  these  arched  recesses 
are  found  to  be  built  of  comparatively  modern 
bricks.  Moreover  their  sides  are  straight,  not 
splayed,  as  should  be  the  case  if  they  had  been  of 
Norman  origin  ;  yet,  if  we  reflect  on  all  we  know 
of  the  history  of  the  building  and  on  the  probable 
necessities  of  the  case,  we  may  be  able  to  put 
together  a  plausible  theory  as  to  their  history. 

We  know  that  at  some  time  before  the  Reforma- 
tion, perhaps  at  the  conclusion  of  the  long  civil 
wars  between  the  York  and  Lancaster  factions, 
the  small  East  window  was  blocked  up  to  give 
place  to  a  wall  painting  of  the  Crucifixion  (presently 
to  be  noticed) .  (1)  This  could  scarcely  have  been 
seen  to  advantage  for  lack  of  light,  so  we  can 
easily  suppose  that,  at  the  same  time,  in  order  to 
throw  more  light  on  the  new  painting,  the  splayed 

(1).     Page  12. 


8  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

openings  for  the  Norman  windows  were  enlarged 
and  straightened,  their  caps  also  re-constructed, 
and,  while  their  round-headed  shapes  were  re- 
tained, Tudor  windows  were  inserted  within  the 
space  of  the  larger  recesses  thus  made  :  later  on, 
when  the  Tudor  stone  work  needed  repair,  it  was 
replaced  by  the  wooden  frames  already  mentioned 
as  found  existing  in  1890. 

On  the  South  side  of  the  Chancel  there  has 
been  found  evidence  of  still  further  complications 
in  this  record  of  decay  and  change,  pointing  to  the 
existence  of  a  small  window  of  one  light,  inter- 
mediary in  point  of  date  between  the  Norman 
windows  and  those  of  Tudor  times.  In  re- 
pairing the  wall  outside  this  spot,  the  corner 
stones  of  a  window-sill  were  uncovered,  some  three 
feet  from  the  ground  and  below  the  sill  of  the 
present  window,  (its  surface  can  be  seen  "  in  situ  ") 
At  the  same  time  fragments  of  a  trefoil  cap,  or 
upper  stone,  of  a  small  window  were  found  em- 
bedded in  the  wall  just  above,  which  are  now 
preserved  in  the  Vestry.  If  they  belong  to 
each  other,  as  seems  probable,  we  have  here  the 
remains  of  one  of  those  small  low  windows  so 
frequently  found  in  the  South  wall  of  Chancels  and 
so  difficult  of  explanation.  One  may  be  seen  com- 
plete in  the  neighbouring  Church  of  Bucklebury. 

Why  they  were  so  much  lower  than  the  other 
windows,  and  why  they  are  always  found  in  the 
same  position  on  the  South  side  of  Chancels 
are  questions  not  answered  with  certainty. 

Some  have  said  that  they  were  for  giving  out 
doles  or  alms  to  the  poor  ;  others,  that  they  were 
for  the  use  of  lepers,  who  could  in  this  way  receive, 
or  at  any  rate  witness,  the  Sacrament  without 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  9 

mixing  with  the  congregation  ;  or,  perhaps,  they 
were  simply  to  allow  the  passer-by  to  gain  a 
blessing  by  looking  through  them  at  the  Host 
reserved  on  the  Altar.  It  is  a  pity  that  the 
fragments  of  this  window  were  not  found  in  time 
in  1890  to  be  made  use  of  in  the  construction  of 
the  actual  window  above  it,  the  stonework  for 
this  having  been  already  made — copied  from  that 
to  the  East  of  it.  This  window  is  also  in  the 
South  wall  but  within  the  curve  of  the  Apse  ;  it 
has  two  lights.  Before  the  restoration  in  1890  it 
had  been  bricked  up  inside  and  out  :  the  centre 
mullion  was  found  in  the  wall,  and  broken,  but 
only  one  stone,  however,  was  required  to  complete 
it  and  it  was  replaced  in  position.  As  the  side 
jambs  were  too  decayed  and  weather-worn  to 
support  the  glass,  they  were  carefully  removed, 
and  were  then  found  to  consist  of  broken  pieces 
of  a  hollowed-out  stone  which  may  have  been  the 
head-piece  of  a  stone  coffin,  perhaps  the  same  of 
which  the  upper  slab  lies  in  the  floor  of  the  porch.  (!) 
Above  this  window  was  another  shaped  stone, 
pierced  with  a  drain  hole,  perhaps  belonging  to  a 
Piscina.  All  these  are  carefully  preserved  in  the 
Vestry. 

The  Piscina.  We  cannot  fail  to  notice  the  very  awkward 
arrangement  by  which  the  Piscina  projects  into 
the  splay  of  this  window.  The  probable  explana- 
tion of  it  is  that,  whereas  the  Piscina  is  in  its 
original  position,  the  window  was  either  inserted 
or  very  much  enlarged  at  some  later  time ;  perhaps 
for  the  same  reason  already  given  in  the  case  of 
the  two  other  windows,  namely,  to  throw  more 
light  on  the  painting,  the  splay  being  cut  back 
behind  the  Piscina. 

(i)  See  p.p.  57  &  58. 


10  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTrf. 

The  Piscina  was  found  in  1890,  quite  bricked  up 
and  its  basin  and  sill  gone — these  have  been 
replaced.  Inside  the  arch  in  each  of  the  side 
walls  is  a  small  groove  to  support  a  wooden  shelf 
which  had  perished — it  also  is  now  replaced. 

Piscinas  were  not,  as  some  have  supposed,  used 
for  emptying  away  the  consecrated  wine  from  the 
Chalice — this  has,  in  all  times,  been  reverently 
reserved  or  consumed — or,  far  rinsing  out  the 
sacred  vessels.  They  were  for  receiving  the  water 
poured  over  the  Priest's  hands  at  an  early  stage 
of  the  service  of  the  Mass.  The  act  is  symbolical 
and  the  words  of  the  Psalm — /  will  wash  mine 
hands  in  innocency  and  so  will  I  go  to  Thine  Altar — 
are  recited  by  the  Priest  while  performing  it. 
Aumbry  Opposite  the  Piscina  in  the  North  wall  of  the 

Locker.  r  r 

Apse  is  a  small  square  recess,  a  locker  or  cupboard 
in  which  formerly  the  sacred  vessels  were  kept 
when  not  in  use,  this  also  was  re-opened  in  1890. 
The  wooden  door  now  attached  is  modern. 
East  The  East  window,  the  last  now  remaining  to  be 

noticed,  is  the  only  one  in  the  Chancel  of  its 
original  shape,  but  it  has  gone  through  many 
vicissitudes. 

At  the  time  of  the  restoration  of  the  Church  in 
1890  it  was  so  completely  hidden,  both  inside  and 
out,  that  had  it  not  been  for  a  sketch  of  the  outside 
of  the  Apse  made  by  an  architect — Mr.  Buckler- 
in  1819,  in  which  its  outline  was  shown,  its 
existence  might  have  been  doubted. 

In  front  of  it,  inside  the  Apse,  in  place  of  the 
Altar,  there  then  stood  an  imposing  monument, 
thirteen  feet  high,  erected  in  1712  by  the  Lord  of 
the  Manor — Loftus  Brightwell — to  the  memory 
of  his  wife.  This  was  removed  by  the  permission 


X 


I  ; 

'    L       +*  - 


Scale 

PAINTING   OF  CRUCIFIXION   ON   APSE   WITH   CONSECRATION   CROSS. 


THE    PARISH   CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH.  II 

of  the  late  Mrs.  Darby  Griffith  and  rebuilt  against 
the  West  end  wall  of  the  Church,  where  it  now 
stands.  Behind  it  the  East  wall  was  found 
to  be  much  damaged  and  built  up  of  rough 
fragments,  among  which  was  a  carved  broken 
stone,  apparently  part  of  a  Roman  Capital 
brought  probably  from  the  ruins  of  Silchester  :— 
it  was  covered  with  the  remains  of  a  wall  painting 
representing  the  Crucifixion,  with  figures  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  John  on  either  side.  A 
further  examination  of  the  surface  of  the  broken 
plaster  revealed  the  existence  of  a  part  of  the 
stone  sill  of  the  window.  Encouraged  by  this 
indication,  search  in  the  outer  wall  was  then  made 
by  the  restorers.  The  whole  Apse  had  been 
cased  outside,  about  the  year  1850,  first  with  tiles 
and  then  with  a  thick  coating  of  stucco,  decorated 
with  stucco  medallions  representing  the  emblems 
of  the  Passion.  All  this  having  been  removed, 
the  round  head  of  the  missing  window  came  to 
light,  then  the  cap  built  of  Roman  bricks,  the 
whole  depth  of  the  window  quite  distinct  through 
the  thickness  of  the  wall,  the  splay,  the  beds  of 
the  jamb  stones  and,  lastly,  the  two  lower  corner 
stones  of  the  outer  frame  were  all  recovered. 
The  proportions  of  the  little  window  were  com- 
plete. 

The  question  then  arose  as  to  which  of  the  two, 
the  inside  wall  painting,  or  the  much  older  window 
which  it  had  blocked,  should  be  retained.  Con- 
sidering the  very  imperfect  condition  of  the 
former  and  also  its  inferior  antiquity,  it  was 
decided  that  the  painting  must  be  sacrificed. 
When  the  plaster  and  painting  were  removed,  the 
sloping  inner  sill  of  the  window  was  found  to  be 


12  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

divided  into  three  steps  built  of  flint,  and  so  it 
now  remains.  Examples  of  this  feature  may  be 
seen  in  other  Churches  about  the  same  date. 

Judging  by  the  style  of  the  painting,  the 
blocking  of  the  window  must  have  taken  place 
some  time  towards  the  end  of  the  XVth  Century. 
It  certainly  dates  from  before  the  Reformation 
times,  for,  both  under  Edward  VI.  and  Elizabeth, 
no  orders  were  more  stringent  or  more  universally 
carried  out  than  those  issued  concerning  the 
destruction  and  obliteration  of  all  such  wall 
paintings  in  Churches  throughout  the  land. 
The  fact  that  the  heads  of  the  figures  were  the 
parts  most  spoilt  rather  points  to  the  carrying 
out  of  such  orders.  The  whole  was  executed  in 
three  colours — flesh-colour,  red,  and  yellow,  the 
design  being  traced  everywhere  with  a  red  line. 

The  drawing,  without  possessing  much  merit, 
compared  favourably  with  similar  works  of  art 
found  in  other  village  Churches.  The  figures  of 
St.  John  and  the  Virgin,  especially,  were  very 
graceful. 
Consecration  Immediately  below  this  painting  was  found 

Crosses.  e        ° 

one  of  the  so-called  Consecration  Crosses.  Of 
such  Crosses  there  are  now  six  to  be  seen  in  the 
Church.  Two  are  under  the  Belfry  opposite 
each  other — one  of  these  concealed  behind  the 
clock  weights — two  are  in  the  Nave  towards  the 
East  end,  also  opposite,  and  two  are  in  the  Chancel. 
Of  these,  one  is  in  the  centre  of  the  Apse,  as  above 
described,  and  the  other  on  the  curve  of  the 
Apse  on  the  North  side,  about  five  feet  from  the 
centre.  Considering  the  symmetrical  arrange- 
ment of  all  the  other  Crosses,  one  is  led  to  suppose 
that  there  was  originally  a  third  Cross,  cor  res- 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  13 

ponding  to  this  last,  on  the  South  wall,  but  the 
spot  where  it  should  have  been  is  now  covered 
by  the  stone  framework  of  a  modern  splay. 

All  the  crosses  are  similar  in  design,  consisting 
of  a  circle  about  ten  inches  in  diameter,  within 
which  the  form  of  a  Cross  is  scratched  in  the  plaster 
and  filled  in  with  colour — a  red  cross  on  a  yellow 
ground.     They  are  all  about  four  feet  from  the 
ground,   except  that  on  the  East  wall  which  is 
rather  lower.     The  position  of  the  centre  cross 
is  worth  noting  since  it  gives  some  clue  to  its  date. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  removal  of  the 
Brightwell  monument  from  the  East  end  of  the 
Apse,  a  stone  was  discovered  in  the  wall,  apparently 
the  sill  of   the  blocked-up  East  window,    though 
rather    unaccountably    extending    about    sixteen 
inches  beyond  the  window  opening  on  each  side. 
All  the  rest  of  the  stone  of  the  inside  window- 
frame  had  gone  and  the  space  originally  occupied 
by  the  window  was  filled  up  with  flints  and  covered 
over  with  stucco  to  receive  the  painting  of  the 
Crucifixion.     Immediately  below  the  blocked-up 
space  is  the  Consecration  Cross,  its  centre  on  the 
stone  of  the  sill  and  its  upper  part  on  the  stucco 
filling,  that  is,  it  is  painted  partly  on  the  surface 
of   the  flint-work  and  partly  on  the  wall  below. 
The  Cross  is  therefore  clearly  of  a  later  date  than 
the  walling-up  of    the  window  ;  it  was,  in  fact, 
probably  executed  at  the  same  time  as  the  painting 
below  which  it  was  found  and  its  position,  lower 
on  the  wall  than  the  rest,  is  accounted  for  by  the 
evident  intention  to  give  sufficient  space  for  the 
subject  painting  above. 

We  are    told(1)     that    these    Crosses   were   me- 
morials, not  only    of    the   original    Consecration 

(i)  The  Archeologia — 188$,  xlviii.  456-464. 


14  THE   PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

of  a  Church,  but  also  of  the  re-consecration  of  any 
part  altered  or  added.  This  Cross  was,  therefore, 
most  probably  added  on  the  occasion  of  the 
dedication  of  the  mural  decoration  of  the  Apse, 
and  the  period  in  which  it  was  executed  is  found 
by  the  style  of  the  painting  to  be  sometime  during 
the  reign  of  Henry  VII.,  when  restored  peace 
after  the  long  civil  wars  allowed  time  and  thought 
for  much  Church  building  and  decoration  through- 
out the  land.(1) 

In  order  to  preserve  this  interesting  record  the 
Cross  has  been  carefully  left  in  position. 

The  ceremony  connected  with  these  Crosses  was 
as  follows  : — they  were  painted  or  carved  before- 
hand on  the  walls  and,  at  the  time  of  Consecration, 
the  Bishop  went  round  the  Church  tracing  out 
their  outline  with  the  holy  oil  of  Chrism. 

There  were  generally  twelve  inside  a  Church 
and  sometimes  the  same  number  on  the  outside 
walls,  though,  as  has  been  said,  only  six  are  to  be 
found  now  at  Padworth. 

Traces  of  colouring  were  found  on  much  of  the 
stonework,  as,  for  instance,  on  the  columns  of  the 
Chancel  arch,  and  on  the  plaster  on  all  the  lower 
parts  of  the  North  and  South  walls  of  the  Nave 
and  round  the  doorway,  and  also  on  the  walls 
of  the  Apse,  but  almost  everywhere  the  designs 
were  hopelessly  indistinguishable,  the  surface  of 
the  walls  being  much  broken.  It  was  therefore 
found  necessary  to  re-face  them.  A  small  space, 
however,  has  been  left  on  the  South  wall  near  the 
Chancel  where  the  painting  seemed  more  perfect, 
but  no  satisfactory  explanation  of  what  it  repre- 
sents has  ever  been  given. 

(i)  Lecture  at  Society  of  Antiquaries — Feb.  23,    1882. 


PAINTING   OF   ST.    NICHOLAS. 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  15 

The  only  painting  which  remains  in  any  entirety 
is  that  on  the  East  wall  of  the  Nave  by  the  side  of 
the  columns  to  the  South  of  the  Chancel  arch. 
This  is  of  a  much  earlier  style  than  the  painting  of 
the  Crucifixion  already  referred  to ;  indeed  it 
seems  probable  that  it  is  but  little  later  than  the 
building  of  the  Church  itself. 

It  represents  a  figure  of  a  Bishop  standing  under 
a  canopy,  fully  vested,  with  a  crozier  in  his  left 
hand  while  his  right  hand  is  raised  in  blessing. 
Below  this  figure  is  a  small  group  representing 
an  incident  in  the  life  of  St.  Nicholas,  from  which 
it  may  be  supposed  that  the  Bishop  figured  above 
must  be  intended  for  that  Saint. 

An  illustration  is  given  on  the  opposite  page 
reproducing  this  painting,  and  also  there  is  added 
from  other  sources  the  representation  of  a  fully 
vested  Bishop  of  the  XIIIth  or  XIVth  Centuries, 
by  the  help  of  which  the  vestments  shown  in 
the  painting  will  be  better  understood. 
A  Bishop's  vestments  were  as  follows  :— 

First  he  put  on  the  Amice  which  was  a  band 
of  fine  linen  with  a  stiff  embroidered  border 
on  one  side  ;  it  was  worn  round  the  neck  like 
a  collar  or  hood  thrown  back,  something 
like  the  academical  hood  worn  by  our  clergy 
to-day,  though  it  was  much  smaller  and  more 
close  fitting.  It  is  marked  (a)  in  the  illustra- 
tion. 

Next  came  the  Alb,  a  long  linen  vestment  or 
surplice,  reaching  nearly  to  the  feet.  It  had 
a  short  broad  band  of  embroidery  sewn  on  to 
the  lower  edge  in  front  (marked  (b)  ).  The 
ends  of  the  stole  shew  just  above  it  (marked 
(cc)  ).  Over  the  Alb  and  the  Stole  the 


1 6  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH. 

Bishop  put  on  the  Dalmatic — a  white  fringed 
dress  with  large  sleeves  and  open  at  the 
sides  (marked  (d)  ).  The  Chasuble  covered 
everything  ;  it  was  a  large  round  mantle  in 
one  piece,  enveloping  the  whole  person,  with 
no  opening  except  for  the  head  ;  when  the 
hands  were  raised,  therefore,  the  Chasuble 
fell  in  folds  over  the  arms  and  appeared  as  if 
pointed  both  in  front  and  behind  (see  (e)  ) . 

Being  fully  vested  the  Mitre  was  placed  on 
the  Bishop's  head.  Low  caps  closed  at  the 
top  were  worn  by  Bishops  in  early  times  ; 
the  double  pointed  Mitres  did  not  come  into 
use  till  about  the  beginning  of  the  XIIIth 
Century  and  then  were  very  low  in  shape  till 
the  XIVth  Century.  They  were  in  early 
times  made  of  linen.  The  very  obtusely 
pointed  Mitre  worn  by  St.  Nicholas  indicates 
that  the  painting  is  probably  not  later  than 
the  middle  of  the  XIVth  Century.  The 
Pastoral  Staff  took  the  form  of  a  shepherd's 
crook  and  was  often  elegantly  ornamented 
with  foliage  or  other  devices ;  below  the 
crook  was  sometimes  attached  a  scarf  or 
banner ;  this  seems  to  be  shewn  in  the 
painting.*1) 

Above  the  painted  trefoil  canopy  which  sur- 
mounts the  figure  of  the  Saint,  on  a  small  space 
marked  with  parallel  lines  as  if  to  represent 
masonry,  there  appear  to  be  two  shields,  probably 
once  bearing  heraldic  devices.  If  these  had  been 
discoverable  we  might  have  learnt  much  of  the 
date  of  this  painting  and  under  what  Lord  of  the 
Manor  it  was  executed,  but,  unfortunately,  nothing 
of  the  sort  can  be  made  out. 

(i)  For  above  details  see  Dr.  Rock's  Hierurgia,  London  1833. 


THE    PARISH   CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH.  17 

The  small  subject  painting  below  the  figure  of 
St.  Nicholas  represents  a  supposed  incident  in  his 
life.  The  story  is  as  follows  : — It  came  to  the 
Saint's  knowledge  that  three  children  had  been 
cruelly  murdered,  and  their  bodies  salted  and 
concealed  in  a  tub.  Whereupon  he  forthwith 
proceeded  to  the  spot  and  by  his  benediction  he 
restored  them  to  life.  It  has  been  thought  by 
some  that  the  legend  has  reference  to  the  rite  of 
baptism.  As  here  shewn  the  Saint  stands  giving 
his  blessing  before  a  font  from  which  rise  the 
three  boys  with  their  hands  clasped  in  prayer, 
while  an  attendant  stands  beside  them. 

St.  Nicholas  was  a  native  of  Asia  Minor  and 
was  born  of  Christian  parents.  After  being  or- 
dained a  priest  he  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy 
Land  and,  on  his  return,  was  elected  Bishop  of 
Myra.  This  was  during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor 
Constantine,  and  St.  Nicholas  was  one  of  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church  who  assisted  at  the  Council 
of  Nicea  and  who  signed  the  Nicene  Creed,  which 
is  repeated  in  our  Churches  to  this  day  every 
Sunday.  After  a  saintly  life  he  died  on  the  6th 
December,  326  A.D.,  and  was  buried  in  the  city  of 
Myra. 

Below  these  paintings  there  stood  originally  a 
small  Altar  and,  by  its  side,  in  the  South  wall, 
there  was  a  Piscina.  The  stonework  lining  is 
now  gone  but  its  small  arched  recess  was  found 
when  the  walls  were  repaired  in  1890,  having  been 
filled  in  only  with  loose  flints. 

On  the  corresponding  space  on  the  North  side 
of  the  Chancel  arch  there  may  have  been  the 
Altar  to  Our  Ladv  mentioned  in  John  Littlefield's 


l8  THE    PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

will  (date  1557)  (T),   but  no  trace  of  it  has  been 
discovered. 

Altar  stone.  j^  present  Altar  table  is  actually  the  original 
stone  Altar  slab  of  the  Church  in  pre-reformation 
days.  It  was  found  serving  as  a  paving  stone 
close  to,  and  West  of,  the  Altar  rails  on  the  South 
side  of  the  Chancel.  No  remains  of  crosses  could 
be  traced,  the  surface  being  very  much  worn 
away,  but  from  its  shape  and  size  and  the  fact 
that  the  edges  are  chamfered  on  three  sides  and 
square  on  the  fourth,  there  seems  little  reasonable 
doubt  of  its  identity. 

Stone  Altars  were  among  the  objects  ordered 
to  be  ejected  and  destroyed  at  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  and  probably  nothing  but  a  casual 
table  was  used  in  their  stead  for  the  Celebration 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  till,  by  the  order  of  Arch- 
bishop Laud  in  Charles  the  First's  reign,  the 
handsome  carved  oak  Altar  tables  that  are  so 
often  found  in  our  village  churches  were  provided. 
Such  a  table  exists  at  Padworth  but,  when  the 
Altar  slab  was  found  as  described,  it  was  felt  to 
be  an  even  more  venerable  object  than  the  oaken 
table  of  the  XVIIth  Century,  and  accordingly, 
a  stout  oak  frame  having  been  made  for  it,  it 
was  replaced,  after  300  years,  in  its  original 
position.  The  wooden  Altar  table  is  preserved 
in  the  Vestry. 

The  Altar  rails  date  from  the  same  time  as  the 
oak  table,  having  been  put  up  in  accordance  with 
the  injunctions  of  Archbishop  Laud. 

Rood  Screen  There  are  but  few  remains  of  the  ancient 
wooden  fittings  of  this  Church  ;  the  most  interest- 
ing is  a  fragment  of  an  oaken  beam,  carved  as  an 

(i)  See  page   128. 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  IQ 

ornamental  cornice  with  an  embattled  moulding, 
which  was  found,  during  the  restoration  works, 
under  one  of  the  pews  in  the  Nave  where  it  had 
been  used  as  a  joist.  There  is  a  rectangular 
opening  of  5  inches  long  by  i  inch  wide  and  2\ 
inches  deep.  This  is  all  that  remains  of  the 
Rood  Screen  which  once  stood  across  the  Chancel 
arch.  That  it  stood  there  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  the  stone  at  the  base  of  the  columns  of 
the  Chancel  arch  is  cut  away  to  make  room  for  it. 
Rood-Screens  do  not  appear  to  have  been  common 
in  this  country  before,  if  as  soon  as,  the  XIVth 
Century  ;  most  of  them  were  destroyed  at  the 
time  of  the  Reformation  when  such  as  remained 
ceased  to  be  made  use  of.  They  were  usually 
built  of  wood  in  the  form  of  an  open  arcade, 
surmounted  by  a  handsome  cornice.  In  the 
centre,  affixed  to  the  cornice  and  facing  the  Nave, 
was  the  Rood,  or  Crucifix,  with  the  figures  of 
St.  John  and  the  Virgin  standing  on  each  side, 
carved  in  wood.  The  probable  explanation  of 
the  rectangular  opening  to  be  seen  in  the  Padworth 
fragment  is  that  this  was  the  aperture  into  which 
the  cross  of  the  Rood  was  fixed.  The  term 
Rood  is  derived  from  a  Saxon  word  meaning 
Cross.  A  narrow  gallery  was  sometimes  added 
behind  the  cornice,  reached  by  a  small  staircase 
built  into  the  wall  at  the  side,  and  from  this 
gallery  the  priest  read  the  gospel  and  the  epistle, 
just  as  he  now  does  from  inside  the  Altar  rails, 
the  Gospel  from  the  right-hand,  or^Virgin's  side, 
and  the  Epistle  from  the  left,  or  St.  John's  side. 
A  similar  screen  to  that  which  once  stood  in 
Padworth  Church  can  still  be  seen  in  the  Parish 
Church  of  Silchester. 


20  THE    PAklSH    CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH. 

Of  other  ancient  woodwork  there  remain  only 
some  plain  oak  panels  which  have  been  worked 
into  a  cupboard  in  the  Vestry.  The  quite  plain 
oak  pulpit  has  been  used  up  to  panel  the  window 
recesses  in  the  Chancel.  There  is  an  old  oak  seat 
in  the  recess  on  the  North  side. 

The  oak  benches  which  probably  accommodated 
the  congregation  in  pre-reformation  times  had, 
in  1890,  entirely  disappeared.  An  idea  of  their 
appearance  can  be  had  by  noticing  those  still  in 
existence  in  the  neighbouring  Church  of  Pamber 
Priory.(])  They  had  been  replaced,  at  Padworth, 
probably  towards  the  end  of  the  XVIIIth  Century 
by  high  narrow  pews  of  thin  painted  deal.  Miss 
Curtis  records  that,  in  her  father's  time  (1823- 
65),  there  were  on  each  side  of  the  Font  two  pews 
devoted  respectively  to  old  men  and  women. 
Gallery.  Above  them  and  in  front  of  the  Belfry  was  a 
Gallery  for  the  singers.  Ugly  in  appearance,  this 
Gallery  was  of  interest  from  the  inscriptions 
painted  on  its  front  panels,  recording  the  endow- 
ments and  charities  of  the  Parish,  with  the  names 
of  the  Rector  and  Churchwardens  by  whose 
direction  it  was  put  up,  and  the  date — 1787. 
This  part  has  been  preserved  and  is  affixed  to  the 
upper  framework  of  the  Belfry.  (2) 

A  few  ornamental  tiles  of  the  original  flooring 
were  found  at  the  time  of  the  restoration  in  1890, 
and  are  now  laid  together  within  the  Altar  rails. 
One  of  the  designs  is  given  on  page  56,  from  a 
fragment  preserved  in  the  Vestry. 

To  sum  up.     If  our  deductions  are  correctly 

(i)  Also  at  Bramley  and  Tadley. 
(2)   See  page  25. 


., 


THE   CHURCH,    1889. 


THE    PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWO&TH.  21 

made,  from  the  indications  described  in  the 
foregoing  pages  it  would  appear  that  this  Church 
has  undergone  three,  possibly  four,  stages  of 
building  and  alteration.  The  fabric  was  originally 
erected  in  Norman  times,  the  style  of  the  carved 
capitals  of  the  columns  of  the  Chancel  arch  is 
thought  by  some  archaeologists  to  suggest  the 
date  1130.  As  it  then  stood  it  was  lit  only  by 
small  round-headed  windows,  of  which  two,  one 
under  the  Belfry,  and  one  at  the  East  end  of  the 
Apse  remain.  Besides  these  there  may  have  been 
four  in  the  Nave,  two  on  each  side,  and  two  in  the 
North  and  South  walls  of  the  Apse.  The  painting 
of  St.  Nicholas  dates  from  this  period. 

The  first  alteration  must  have  been  the  opening 
of  the  small  low  window  on  the  South  side  of  the 
Chancel,  of  which  fragments,  including  a  trefoil 
head  of  later  than  Norman  style,  now  only  remain. 
If  this  window,  as  some  have  supposed,  was 
inserted  for  the  convenience  of  leper  worshippers, 
not  allowed  to  enter  the  Church  but  kneeling 
outside  to  adore  the  Sacrament,  its  date  is  fixed 
at  some  time  during  the  XIVth  Century,  during 
which  the  disease  raged  in  England — a  date 
which  coincides  pretty  well  with  its  style. 

A  second  more  considerable  alteration  took 
place  after  the  Wars  of  the  Roses  and  perhaps  in 
the  time  of  that  Peter  Cowdray  who  died  in  1524 
and  who  was  the  last  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  his 
name  in  Pad  worth. 

About  this  time  the  Norman  East  window  was 
blocked  up  and  the  picture  of  the  Crucifixion  was 
painted  on  the  wall  surface  in  front  of  it.  To 
supply  the  light  now  much  needed  in  the  Church 
the  two  windows  of  the  Chancel  on  the 


22  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

South  and  East  sides  were  altered  and  enlarged, 
and  that  on  the  South  East  side  added  and  made 
to  overlap  an  earlier  Piscina  already  there. 
There  were  also  two  large  windows  opened  opposite 
each  other  in  the  Nave,  in  the  Tudor  style  of 
architecture,  possibly  replacing  original  Norman 
ones. 

Besides  these  alterations  and  additions  to  the 
windows  a  Rood  Screen  was  erected  and  the  walls 
of  the  Church  all  round  were  much  decorated 
with  painting. 

Then  came  the  Reformation  and,  almost  coinci- 
ding with  it,  the  purchase  of  the  manor  by  Thomas 
Bright  well,  a  junior  member  of  an  Oxfordshire 
family  who  seems  to  have  made  his  fortune  as  a 
London  merchant. 

The  Rood  Screen  was  pulled  down  and  the  wall 
paintings  were  everywhere  defaced  and  concealed, 
in  accordance  with  an  Act  of  Parliament  passed 
under  Elizabeth.  But  no  other  important  altera- 
tion seems  to  have  been  made  till  early  in  the 
XVIIIth  Century — a  period  of  great  degradation 
in  Ecclesiastical  Art. 

In  1712  the  Squire,  Loftus  Brightwell,  placed  a 
monument  to  his  wife  on  the  ancient  site  of  the 
Altar  at  the  East  end  of  the  Chancel ;  probably 
about  the  same  time  the  original  oak  benches  were 
replaced  by  deal  pews,  the  painted  deal  gallery 
was  erected  and,  where  the  stonework  of  the 
Tudor  windows  was  found  in  decay,  it  was  filled  in 
with  brickwork. 

The  roof  of  the  Nave,  also  wanting  repair,  was 
concealed  by  a  low  plaster  ceiling. 

Thus  the  Church,  through  many  vicissitudes, 
lived  on,  sometimes  decorated  and  at  other  times 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  23 

wantonly  defaced  or  allowed  to  fall  into  disrepair 
and  cleaned  up  with  yellow  wash,  till,  in  1890,  by 
the  joint  efforts  of  the  Lady  of  the  Manor,  Mr. 
Benyon  of  Englefield,  the  Rector  and  other 
parishioners,  the  building  was  put  into  a  sub- 
stantially sound  condition  and  all  that  could  be 
saved  was  restored  as  nearly  as  possible  to  its 
original  beauty. 

The  Beiis.       At  the  time  of  the  restoration  of  the  Church(l) 
before  referred  to  in  1890,  there  were  five  bells 
hanging  in  the  Belfry,  all  of  which  bore  dates  or 
inscriptions   stamped  in   the   metal.     They  were 
hung  in  the  Frame  in  the  order  here  shewn  :— 
Tenor      5th 
2nd 

3rd  4th 

Third  Beii.  The  3rd  bell  was  undated  but,  judging  by  the 
inscription,  was  by  far  the  oldest.  The  inscrip- 
tion ran  :— 

Sancta  Maria  ora  pro  nobis. 
It  dates  from  pre-reformation  times.     All  the 
letters  were  reversed  and  over  each  was  a  small 
crownlike  ornament. 

Tenor  Beii.  The  Tenor  bell  bore  the  following  inscription 
with  the  date  :— 

Henri  Knight  made  me  1597. 
On  the  frame  of  this  bell  was  marked  in  pencil  :— 

This  bell  was  fresh  hung  June  yrd,  1857. 
Fifth  Beii.       The  fifth   was  inscribed  :— 1654. 
Fourth  Beii.      The  fourth  ,,  ,,  1660. 

second  Beii.      The  second  was  inscribed  :— 

James   Wells,   Aldbourn,    Wilts.     Fecit   1816. 
This  bell    bears  on  the  opposite  side  a  small 
thrice  repeated  ornament  representing  a  Fleur  de 
lys  between  two  bells.     Considering  these  dates 

(i)  Under  the  care  of  Mr.  Henry  Prothero,  of  Cheltenham. 


24  THE    PARISH   CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

it  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that  one  bell — the 
fifth — should  have  been  put  up  during  the 
Commonwealth  when  Church  ceremonies  of  all 
sorts  were  in  abeyance.  Also  that  another— 
the  fourth — should  be  dated  the  year  of  the 
Restoration  of  Charles  II.  Perhaps  it  was  put  up 
on  purpose  to  celebrate  the  event  which  must  have 
been  an  occasion  of  great  rejoicing  to  Rectors  and 
Churchpeople  throughout  the  land. 

The  weight  of  the  old  bells  altogether  was  27 
cwt. 

Five  bells  were  in  the  Tower  in  1890,  of  which 
one  was  found  to  be  cracked  and,  on  that  account 
by  advice  of  experts  in  order  to  make  a  better 
Peal,  the  whole  of  the  metal  of  all  five  bells  was 
broken  up  and  re-cast,  their  inscriptions  being 
carefully  reproduced  and  in  each  case  the  further 
inscription  added  : — Re-cast  in  1890. 

The  Tenor  Bell,  however,  when  sent  back  from 
the  foundry,  proved  to  be  unsuitable  to  the  rest 
of  the  Peal  so  it  was  eventually  exchanged  by  the 
Founders — Messrs.  Mears  and  Stainbank  of  White- 
chapel — for  another,  so  that  on  this  bell  the  record 
1597  was  lost  to  Padworth.  The  new  Tenor  Bell 
is  marked  1900  and  a  note  recording  the  trans- 
action is  made  on  the  frame.  To  these  five  bells 
was  added  a  sixth.  The  weight  of  the  new  bells 
was  as  follows  :— 

The  Tenor —  7cwt.  iqr.  4lbs. 
The  Fifth—  5cwt.  iqr.  iSlbs. 
The  Fourth — 4cwt.  2qr.  23lbs. 
The  Third —  4cwt.  2qr.  3lbs. 
The  Second — 3cwt.  3qr.  iSlbs. 
The  First—  3cwt.  3qr.  24lbs. 


In  all—          29cwt.  2qr.  24lbs. 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  25 

They  hang  in  the  new  frame  thus  :— 
Tenor      Treble 
Second 
Third 

Fifth        Fourth 

Beside  these,  on  the  North  side  above  the  other 
Bells  there  hangs  a  small  one  on  which  the  clock 
strikes.  It  is  marked  : — Wm.  Evans  fecit  1763. 
It  was  formerly  in  the  clock  turret  over  the  house 
stables, 
seating  of  At  the  time  of  the  restoration  in  1800  the 

the  Church 

Church  was  entirely  re-seated,  the  painted  deal 
pews  were  removed  and  were  replaced  by  simple 
but  solid  oak  seats.  The  Gallery  under  the 
Belfry,  also  of  painted  deal,  was  taken  down  but, 
considering  that  its  panelled  front  carried  in- 
scriptions concerning  the  charitable  benefactions 
of  the  Parish,  with  the  names  of  the  Rector  and 
Churchwardens  and  other  items  of  interest  as 
already  described,  it  was  preserved  and  is  now 
fixed  against  the  timbers  of  the  Belfry. 
The  inscriptions  are  here  given  :— 

Donations  left  for  ever  by  Will  for  the  use 
of  the  poor  of  Padworth.     The  Churchwardens 
and  overseers  are  the  appointed   Trustees  for 
the  same. 
(FIRST  PANEL,  SOUTH  END) 

Lady  Marvin  in  1581  gave  10  Bushels  of 
wheat  to  be  made  into  good  household  Bread. 
12  J  ells  of  Canvas  at  is  per  ell  for  Shirts  and 
smocks  &  also  12 J  yds  of  narrow  blue  cloth 
is  Sd  per  yd  for  coats  &  cassoks  She  did 
by  her  Will  charge  divers  lands  and  Heredita- 
ments at  Ufton  &  elsewhere  with  the  Payment 
of  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  purchase 


26  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

the  said  Wheat,  Canvas  &  blue  Cloth.     To  be 
annu'y  distributed  about  the  middle  of  Lent. 


(SECOND  PANEL) 

£ 

Thos.  Blackman  in  1605  Save  4 

Thos.  Brightwell,  Esq.,  in  1665  gave  6 

Saml.  Brightwell,  Esq.                 gave  10 

Mrs.  Anna  Brightwell                 gave  5 

Mrs.  Agnes  Sayer                        gave  3 


£28 


The  Said  Sum  of  £28  is  a  stock  &  with 
which  was  purchased  sundry  pieces  of  land 
in  Padworth  &  is  now  let  for  £7  8s  per  ann.  & 
is  annuly  distributed. 

(THIRD  PANEL) 

£ 

Mrs.  Susannah  Brightwell  in  1707  gave  8 

Loftus  Brightwell,  Esq.                      gave  12 

Mrs.  Ann  Chicheley                          gave  50 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brightwell                 gave  30 

£100 

The  said  sum  of  £100  is  a  stock  &  is  now  in 
the  hands  of  Mrs.  Griffith  for  which  she  pays 
£5  interest  &  is  annually  distributed. 

(FOURTH  PANEL) 

The  sd  Mrs.  Eliz.  Brightwell  also  gave 
£200  joint  stock  in  the  old  S.Sea  Annuts 
wch  produces  the  sum  of  £6  pr  ann  which  is 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  27 

applied  for  teaching  poor  Boys  to  read, 
write,  &  cast  accouts  &  for  teaching  poor  Girls 
to  read,  write,  knit  &  sew  The  school-House, 
Master  or  Mistress  to  be  nominated  &  appointed 
by  the  churchwardens  of  this  Parish  with  the 
approbation  of  the  heirs  &  assigns  for  ever 
of  the  late  Christopher  Griffith  &  the  sd  Eliz. 
Brightwell. 
Underneath,  along  the  whole  front  :— 

John  Davies  Rector,  Ralph  Faulkner  Church- 
warden, Francis  Prior  Overseer,  AD  1787. 
The  Lady  Marvin,  whose  benefaction  is  recorded 
on  the  first  panel,  was  the  lady  who  built  Ufton 
Court  about  the  year  1575.  She  was  the  widow 
of  a  Sir  John  Marvin  but  had  married,  for  her 
first  husband,  Richard  Parkyns,  Lord  of  the 
Manor  of  Ufton  Robert.  She  was  a  wealthy  lady 
for  she  had  inherited  large  estates  in  Wiltshire 
from  her  father,  Sir  John  Mompesson,  but  she 
appears  to  have  been  very  much  attached  to  her 
first  husband's  home,  for,  after  her  second  widow- 
hood, she  lived  and  died  at  Ufton  and  bequeathed 
a  benefaction  of  bread  and  canvas  and  cloth  to 
the  poor  on  her  first  husband's  property  in  Ufton 
and  Padworth  as  well  as  on  her  own  in  Wiltshire. 
Some  time  before  the  above  date,  that  part  of  the 
Parish  of  Padworth,  east  of  the  lane  leading  to  the 
Bath  road,  had  been  included,  as  it  still  is,  in  the 
Ufton  estate,  (')  and  that  is  how  it  happened  that 
the  people  of  Padworth  have  their  share  of  the 
bequest  left  by  the  Lady  of  Ufton. 

Of  the  benefactors  whose  names  are  mentioned 
on  the  second  panel,  Thomas  Blackman  is  said 
to  have  been  of  Sulhamstead  Abbotts.  Thomas 
Brightwell  was  the  Squire  of  Padworth,  and 

(T)  See  page  114. 


28  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PAD  WORTH. 

Samuel  Brightwell  was  his  son  who  succeeded  to 
the  Estates.  Mrs.  Anna  Brightwell  was  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Samuel  Brightwell  ;  she  died 
unmarried  in  1684.  In  those  days  unmarried 
as  well  as  married  women  were  styled  Mistress  or 
Mrs.  Mrs.  Agnes  Sayer  must  have  been  related 
to  the  lady  who  married  Loftus  Brightwell  and 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Sayer. 

On  the  third  panel  the  persons  whose  names  are 
recorded  are  Loftus  Brightwell  who  was  Squire 
of  Padworth  from  1679  till  1738 — it  was  he 
who  erected  the  handsome  monument  to  his  wife, 
Mary,  which  now  stands  at  the  West  end  of  the 
Church — Mrs.  Susannah  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Brightwell,  his  unmarried  daughters,  and  Mrs.  Ann 
Chicheley  who  was  also  his  daughter  ;  she  married 
Dr.  Richard  Chicheley  and  died  in  1740. 

On  the  fourth  panel  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brightwell 
again  makes  a  benefaction  to  the  parish.  She 
was  the  last  survivor  of  that  name  and  died  in 
1765.  It  is  recorded  that  she  had  invested 
her  gift  of  £200  in  South  Sea  Annuities  for  the 
education  of  the  poor  boys  and  girls  of  the  Parish  ; 
it  is  now  represented  by  £335  Consols.  Since 
1862  this  has  been  in  the  hands  of  the  official 
Trustees  of  Charitable  Funds,  and  now  (1911) 
there  are  besides  the  Life  Trustee,  Major  Darby 
Griffith,  two  others  appointed  by  the  Parish 
Council.  This  Funel  is  still  applied  to  Educa- 
tional purposes. 

At  the  foot  of  these  recorded  benefactions  the 
names  of  the  Rector,  Churchwarden  and  Overseer 
who  were  trustees  for  the  funds  are  given. 

Mr.  John  Davies  was  Rector  from  1777  till 
his  death  in  1790.  Faulkner  is  still  a  well  known 
name  in  the  Parish.  Mr.  Prior  was  a  Roman 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  2Q 

Catholic  gentleman  who  lived  in  a  house  now 
pulled  down,  called  Pain  or  Pam  Hall,  in  Pad- 
worth  but  near  the  border  of  Ufton  Parish. 
He  acted  as  overseer  of  the  poor  for  Padworth 
and  it  is  recorded  of  him  in  the  old  register 
that  he  was  buried  at  Ufton  on  the  yth  of 
December,  1788,  also  that  he  died  at  Padworth  on 
Thursday  December  4  about  4  o*  clock  in  the  morning. 
Re  was  universally  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him, 
and  this  esteem  was  raised  in  them  from  the  goodness 
of  his  heart  and  his  steady  adherence  to  his  religious 
principles,  which  he  shewed  by  an  upright  conduct 
of  life  and  conversation.  This  small  tribute  to 
his  memory  is  left  on  record  to  show  how  much 
he  was  esteemed  by  the  Rector  of  this  Parish  and 
his  family.  Memento  Mori 

One  must  think  well  of  Mr.  Davies  as  well  as 
of  his  friend  for  these  kind  words  of  one 
whose  religious  opinions  differed  from  his  own, 
though  the  religious  principles  on  which  they 
both  acted  were  evidently  the  same. 

ch  Th6  d  ^e  mos^  conspicuous  object  in  the  Churchyard 
is  the  fine  old  yew  tree  standing  near  the  South 
door.  It  measures  8ft.  3in.  in  girth  at  4ft.  from 
the  ground.  There  seems  no  way  of  knowing 
with  any  accuracy  the  age  of  trees  still  standing, 
but  it  may  be  taken  for  certain  that  this  tree 
must  be  at  least  between  two  and  three  hundred 
years  old.  Some  have  explained  the  fact  that 
yew  trees  of  great  age  are  so  often  found  in  our 
village  churchyards  by  supposing  that  they  were 
planted  to  provide  material  for  bows  in  the  days 
when  every  country  district  could  send  out 
skilled  archers  under  their  feudal  lords  to  serve 
in  foreign  wars  as,  for  instance,  on  the  battle 


30  THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH. 

fields  of  Crecy  and  Poictiers.  The  yew  tree, 
according  to  others,  also  supplied  branches  to 
be  carried  in  procession  on  Palm  Sunday,  which 
is  sometimes  therefore  called  Yew  Sunday. 

In  1907  an  oak  seat  (made  from  the  old  Belfry 
timbers)  was  placed  round  this  venerable  tree— 
the  gift  of  the  Rector,  with  the  inscription  carved 
on  its  upper  bar — Work  while  'tis  day  then  rest 
awhile  and  pray. 

The  Lych  Gate  was  the  gift  of  Major  Darby 
Griffith,  the  Lord  of  the  Manor  ;  it  was  erected  in 
1890  at  the  time  of  the  Church  restoration. 

These  covered  gates  are  called  after  a  Saxon 
word  Lich,  a  corpse,  and  are  intended  as  a  shelter 
where  the  bier  carrying  the  coffin  can  be  set  down 
till  the  clergyman  comes  out  from  the  church  to 
meet  it. 

Close  by  the  yew  tree,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
path,  stands  an  altar-shaped  monument  to  some 
members  of  a  family  named  Burgess  ;  this  was,  by 
permission  of  their  descendants,  in  1890,  removed 
a  little  on  one  side  when  the  present  path  was  laid 
down.  The  graves,  however,  were  not  disturbed 
but  remain  as  they  were  before,  and  names  of 
other  members  of  the  family  added  on  the  stone. 

In  separate  places  in  the  Churchyard,  under 
where  the  vestry  now  stands  and  near  the  Vault 
made  for  Major  and  Mrs.  George  Darby  Griffith 
also  South  of  the  yew  tree,  were  found  some 
curious  collections  of  human  bones.  They  were 
lying  very  near  the  surface  and  were  quite  indis- 
criminately mixed.  They  are  supposed  to  be 
the  remains  of  the  soldiers  killed  in  a  skirmish 
in  the  lane  hard  by  on  the  2ist  of  September, 
1643  (see  page  68  &  182) .  Those  last  found  have 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH,    PADWORTH.  3! 

now  been  buried  under  the  pavement  of  the  porch 
and  are  commemorated  by  an  inscription  (See 
page  68). 

The  approach  to  the  South  door  of  the  Church 
through  the  Churchyard  was  formerly  by  a  path 
opening  out  of  the  carriage  drive  to  Padworth 
House  ;  but,  for  the  mutual  advantage  of  the 
congregation  and  the  Lord  of  the  Manor,  this  has 
been  closed  and  a  new  path  has  been  made  in  a 
direct  line  from  the  lane,  running  south.  At  the 
same  time  an  agreement  (1890)  was  made  concerning 
a  strip  of  land  on  the  North  side  of  the  Churchyard 
which  for  some  years  had  been  used  as  a  path 
communicating  between  the  House  and  the  Farm 
buildings  to  the  West.  This  path  was  definitely 
given  up  to  the  Lord  of  the  Manor  in  exchange 
for  a  strip  of  similar  width  taken  into  the  Church- 
yard on  the  South  side,  now  covered  by  a  belt  of 
laurel  bushes. 


Reversed  letter  on  Old  Bell. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   RECTORS. 

The  records  of  the  priests  who  served  the 
church  as  Rectors  of  the  Parish  of  Padworth  in 
early  times,  are  to  be  found  for  the  most  part  in 
the  Bishop's  Register  of  Institutions  at  Salisbury, 
in  which  diocese  the  County  of  Berkshire  was 
included  till  recent  times.  A  change  was  made 
bv  an  Order  in  Council,  dated  5th  October, 
1836,  when  this  county  was  transferred  to  the 
diocese  of  Oxford,  Bishop  Wilberforce  being 
the  first  Bishop  to  rule  over  Berkshire  under  the 
new  arrangement. 

The  Register  begins  at  the  date  A.D  1300  and 
records  the  fact  that  the  nomination  to  the  living 
of  Padworth  was  then  made  by  the  Prior  and 
religious  men  of  the  Convent  of  Schyreborn  (now 
known  as  West  Sherborne,  Hants),  to  whom  an 
annual  pension  was  payable  from  its  revenues  of 
£i.  6.  8. 
West  This  Priory  was  a  House  of  Benedictine  monks, 

Sherborne 

Priory,  situated  about  four  miles  north  of  Basingstoke 
and  eight  miles  from  Padworth.  The  Chancel 
and  Central  Tower  of  the  magnificent  church 
attached  to  it  are  still  standing,  known  by  the 
name  of  Pamber  Priory. 

It  was  dedicated  to  the  Holy  Trinity,  our 
Lady  and  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  was  an- 
offshoot,  or  cell,  as  such  dependent  houses 
were  termed,  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Vigor  at  Cerisy  in 
Normandy,  to  which  establishment  its  property 
had  been  given  as  an  endowment,  in  the  time  of 
Henry  ist,  by  the  Norman  Baron,  Henry  de  Port, 


XIV. 


THE    RECTORS.  33 

whose  supposed  monumental  effigy  is  still  pre- 
served in  the  Church. 

Priories  thus  connected  with  foreign  Monastic, 
Houses  were  called  Alien  Priories^1)  and  of  these, 
more  than  a  hundred  are  said  to  have  existed 
in  England  during  the  first  few  centuries  after 
the  Conquest.  When  manors  or  tythes  in  England 
were  given  by  the  conquerors  to  monastic  estab- 
lishments in  Normandy,  the  monks,  in  order  to 
secure  the  services  of  faithful  stewards  for  their 
revenues,  erected  buildings  on  their  English 
property  and  sent  over  some  of  their  number 
with  a  Prior  as  superior,  to  reside  there  to  collect 
the  rents  and  to  transmit  them,  wholly  or  in 
part,  to  the  Mother  House. 

The  existence  of  such  a  source  of  wealth  was 
a  great  temptation  to  the  English  monarchs 
whenever  a  war  with  France  broke  out,  and 
accordingly  we  find  that  the  revenues  of  Alien 
Priories  were  seized  by  Edward  I.,  Edward  III., 
Richard  II.  and  Edward  IV.  in  succession,  though 
sometimes  restored  in  time  of  peace.  The  Priories 
were  finally  dissolved  by  Act  of  Parliament 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  V.  and  all  their  estates 
vested  in  the  Crown. 

To  do  these  kings  justice,  however,  it  must  be 
added  that  the  confiscated  funds  were  often  spent 
for  religious  or  educational  uses.  Thus  Sherborne 
Priory  was  given  by  Henry  VI.  to  Eton  College 
on  condition  that  a  chaplain  should  be  main- 
tained there  to  perform  certain  religious  services, 
such  as  masses  for  the  souls  of  the  founder  and 
others.  Then  followed  the  long  civil  wars  and 
during  this  period  of  disorder  it  seems  that  this 

(i)   Account  of  Alien  Priories. — Dr.  Ducarel. 


34  THE    RECTORS. 

condition  was  not  properly  observed  for,  in 
Edward  IV's  reign,  complaints  were  made  against 
the  conduct  of  the  Provost  and  Fellows  of  Eton 
who  were  said  to  have  carried  off  all  the  jewels, 
riches  and  ornaments  and  the  charters  from  the 
Priory  and,  worse  still,  that  they  had  allowed 
horses  and  cartes  to  goo  uppon  the  sepultures  of 
Cristen  people  in  gret  nombre  buried  in  the  Chirch 
there  wherof  moo  than  XXX  sumtyme  were  worship- 
full  Barons,  Knyghtes  and  Squyers,  also  that  they 
had  discontinued  the  prayers  for  the  founder, 
Henry  du  Port,  and  his  family. (0 

In  answer  to  this  complaint  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment was  passed  in  1415  enacting  that  those  who 
received  the  profits  should  sufficiently  repaire 
maintene  and  kepe  the  Chirche  of  the  said  Prioury 

with  the  closure  of  the  Cemitorie  thereof 

and  should  provide  Belles,  Bookes,  Brede,  Wyne 
and  lightes  with  all  maner  honourmentes  and  other 
things  convenient  and  behossull  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  divine  service  ;  that  they  should 
also  keep  a  yearly  obite  and  solemn  dirge  on  the 
first  day  of  January  with  five  masses  to  be  said 
on  the  second  day  and  that  immediately  after 
the  masses  there  should  be  distributed  in  alms 
to  the  poor  people  of  the  neighbourhood  the  sum 
of  23s  &  4d  in  lawful  English  money,  that  they 
might  pray  especially  for  the  souls  of  the  sovereign 
and  of  the  most  noble  Prince  Richard  Duke  of 
York  his  father,  also  of  the  Queen  and  their  son 
our  noble  prince  and  of  all  their  noble  progeny. 
Also  for  the  souls  of  Henry  Poorte  and  other 
benefactors  buried  in  the  church. (2) 

(i)   History  of  Eton,  Sir  H.  Maxwell  Lyte. 
(2)   Rolls  of  Parliament,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  143.     Part  XIV.,  Edward  IV. 


THE  RECTORS.  35 

But  whether  because  the  Provost  and  Fellows 
of  Eton  did  not  properly  obey  these  behests, 
or  for  some  other  reason,  the  property  was  soon 
afterwards  taken  away  from  them  and  bestowed 
on  the  Hospital  of  St.  Julian,  called  the  House 
of  God,  at  Southampton,  and  it  is,  to  this  day, 
enjoyed  by  the  Provost  and  Fellows  of  Queen's 
College,  Oxford,  as  Masters  of  that  Hospital. 
The  old  Maison  Dieu  or  House  of  God  was  founded 
by  Gervase  le  Riche,  a  burgher  of  Southampton, 
towards  the  end  of  the  XIIth  Century.  In  1343 
it  was  given  to  Queen's  Hall,  after  which  it  was 
enriched  by  Edward  IV.  with  the  endowment  of 
Sherborne  Priory.  The  old  buildings  were  burnt 
during  one  of  the  frequent  raids  of  the  French, 
and  though  afterwards  rebuilt  were  finally  de- 
molished in  1861.  The  Chapel  was  modernised 
and  only  the  Chancel  arch  of  the  older  structure 
remains. 

These  various  vicissitudes  through  which  the 
Priory  of  Sherborne  passed  can  be  traced  to 
a  certain  extent  in  the  records  of  the  presenta- 
tions to  the  living  of  Padworth,  to  which  we  will 
now  return. 

Though  there  is  good  reason  for  believing  that 
the  Church  at  Padworth  had  been  built  and  used 
for  divine  service  some  time  before  (see  page  21), 
yet  the  earliest  date  at  which  record  exists  of  a 
priest  connected  with  it  is  A.D.  1297. W  In 
that  year  Alexander  of  Paddeworth  was  one  out 
of  a  number  of  ecclesiastics  who  received  letters 
of  protection  from  King  Edward  I.  The  occasion 
or  need  of  protection  is  not  explained,  but  the 
King  had,  at  that  time,  a  quarrel  with  the  Clergy. 

(i)   Patent  Roll.  25  Edward  I.     p.i.m.  13. 


36  THE    RECTORS. 

probably  because  they  claimed  immunity  from 
taxation,  and  to  such  as  gave  in  their  submission 
he  may  have  granted  this  guarantee  of  his  favour. 
The  same  Alexander,  here  called  de  Leukelond  is 
again  mentioned  in  the  first  recorded  institution 
to  the  Rectory  of  Padworth  in  the  Diocesan 
Register  at  Salisbury  from  which,  when  not 
otherwise  stated,  these  records  are  taken.  He  is 
there  alluded  to  as  the  predecessor  of  a  certain 
Thomas  de  Cumb,  who  had  been  nominated 
to  the  living  by  the  Prior  and  monks  of  Sherborne. 
This  nomination  is  entered  twice  over — in  1300 
and  again  1302 — for  which,  on  the  second  occasion, 
some  explanation  is  given.  Alexander,  it  appears, 
had  not  resigned  but  was  not  officiating  and, 
in  his  default,  another  Rector  had  been  appointed  ; 
but,  as  it  seemed  uncertain  whether  he — Alexander 
—would  consent  to  give  up  his  right,  the  case 
was  referred  to  the  Bishop  and  a  fresh  and  provi- 
sional nomination  was  granted  to  Thomas  by 
the  Patrons. 

All  this  somewhat  complicated  transaction  may 
perhaps  have  some  connection  with  the  protection 
that  Alexander  received  from  the  King,  to  which 
we  have  already  referred. 

A  rather  free  translation  is  given  here  of  the 
involved  mediaeval  latin  in  which  the  two  nomina- 
tions are  recorded. 

Memorandum.  That  on  the  3rd  of  April,  A.D.  1300, 
at  Warfield,  Thomas  de  Cumb,  clerk,  was  presented  to  the 
Church  of  Padworth  by  the  Prior  and  Convent  of  Schyreborne 
and  he  at  once  obtained  letters  of  enquiry  to  the  Archdeacon 
of  Berkshire  or  his  official.  It  is  suspended  by  inhibition 
in  the  Court  of  Canterbury.^} 

(i)   Sarum  Diocesan  Gandoevo  Register  A.D.   1300. 


THE    RECTORS.  37 

The  second  presentation  is  as  follows  :— 

Memorandum.  That  on  the  26th  March,  A.D.  1302, 
Thomas  de  Cumb,  acolyte,  who  had  been  previously  pre- 
sented to  the  Church  of  Padworth  by  the  religious  men  the 
Prior  and  Convent  of  Schyrborne,  in  the  diocese  of  Winchester, 
to  the  Lord  Bishop,  was  admitted  to  the  same  and  canonically 
instituted  Rector  in  the  same,  having  afterwards  taken  his 
oath  that  if  it  should  happen  that  the  said  Father  in  God 
should  be  troubled  or  in  any  way  annoyed  by  Alexander 
de  Leukelond,  late  incumbent  of  that  Church,  on  account 
of  this  admission,  that  he  (the  said  Thomas]  shall  put 
himself  absolutely  at  the  disposal  of  the  said  Father  in 
God  with  regard  to  the  Church  and  its  belongings.  There 
were  present  on  that  day  in  the  Chapel  of  Ramsbury, 
Masters  Nicholas  de  la  Faleys,  perpetual  Vicar  of  Rams- 
bury,  Thomas  of  Swyndon,  Rector  of  the  Church  of  Dar- 
weston,  Richard  of  Toppeclyve,  public  notary.  And  upon 
admission  Thomas  obtained  letters  close  and  patent  in 
the  accustomed  form. 

(Signed]     Richard  of  Toppeclyve. 

It  may  here  be  mentioned  that  the  frequent 
addition  of  the  prefix  de  to  the  names  of  the 
Rectors  in  early  times  does  not  imply  that  they 
were  of  noble  birth  ;  but  merely  that  in  the 
absence  of  surnames  which  were  then  not  in 
common  use,  it  was  customary  to  distinguish  men 
of  all  ranks  by  adding  to  their  Christian  name 
that  of  the  place  they  came  from — as  we  might 
say  William  of  Padworth  or  Jack  of  Newbury, 
though,  owing  to  the  alteration  in  the  spelling 
of  names,  it  is  often  difficult  to  identify  the  places 
mentioned. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  succeeding  Rectors 
presented  to  the  living  of  Padworth  by  the  Prior 
and  Convent  of  Sherborne  with  the  dates  of  their 
institution  : — 


3o  THE    RECTORS. 

i3th  January,  1304         JOHN  DE  CUMB  on  the 

resignation    of 
Thomas  de  Cumb. 

29th  December,  1314      HENRY  LAMLEYE  on 

the    resignation    of 
John  de  Cumb. 

28th  April,  1320  ADAM    DE    LAMLEYE 

on   the   resignation 
of  the  last  Rector. 

6th  August,  1322  NICHOLAS  FRANCEIS 

by    exchange    with 
Adam  de  Lamleye. 

3rd  December,  1333        WILLIAM  WALROD  on 

the    resignation    of 
Nicholas  Franceis. 

5th  March,  1357-8  RICHARD  DE  BROKES- 

BOURN  by  exchange 
with  Wm.   Walrod 
for  the  Vicarage  of 
Kilton,  Somerset- 
shire.^) 

i7th  March,  1361  JOHN  DE  OVERTON  by 

exchange  with 
Richard  de  Brokes- 
bourne    for    the 
Rectory    of    St. 
Mary's,       Stanyng 
Lane,  London. 

Date  not  known  MICHAEL  MEYLE. 

One  cannot  fail  to  notice  the  very  short  time 
during  which  each  Rector  stayed  in  the  parish. 
They  were  celibates,  possibly  monks,  and  in  that 
case  might  have  been  moved  about  by  order  of 
their  superiors,  and  even  if  it  were  not  so,  house 

(i)   Patent  Rolls— 32  Edward  III.     p.i.m,  21  &  23. 


THE    RECTORS.  39 

moving  was  not  to  them  the  serious  business  that 
it  is  to  their  modern  representatives. 

It  is  interesting  to  remind  ourselves  that  these 
men,  whose  names  we  now  hardly  understand, 
actually  saw  the  little  Parish  Church  of  Padworth 
much  as  we  too  now  see  it.  Some  of  the  windows 
were  of  a  different  shape  and  the  glass  of  course 
was  not  the  same,  and  the  painting  of  St.  Nicholas 
was  fresh  and  new  and  an  altar  stood  before 
it  on  the  space  below,  but  the  form  of  the  building 
is  unchanged  and  within  these  same  walls  they 
too,  as  we  do  now,  worshipped  our  Lord  and 
Master  six  hundred  years  ago. 

The  next  nomination  was  at  the  presentation  of 
King  Richard  II.  A  war  with  France  had  been 
going  on  during  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  his 
Grandfather,  Edward  III.,  and  peace  had  not 
yet  yeen  concluded.  So,  perhaps  for  fear  of 
treachery  at  home  or  simply  because  money  was 
wanted,  the  property  of  the  French  monks  at 
Sherborne  was  confiscated.  This  fact  is  alluded 
to  in  the  memorandum  of  the  presentation 
entered  in  the  Bishop's  Register  at  Salisbury.  It 
is  translated  as  follows  :— 

Padworth.         By  Exchange.         The  King  presented. 

On  the  15th  day  of  December,  1375,  at  Salisbury,  Exchange 
was  made  between  Michael  Meyle,  Rector  of  the  Church 
of  Padworth,  and  John  Darlyng,  Rector  of  the  Curate 
Chapel  of  Spertgrove,  in  the  diocese  of  Bath  and  Wells, 
with  the  presentation  of  our  lord  the  King,  the  temporalities 
of  the  Alien  priory  of  Sherborne,  being  at  that  time  in  the 
hands  of  his  deputy  in  Spiritual  Commission  John  by 
the  Grace  of  God  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells  on  account  of 
the  war  which  was  going  on  between  our  lord  the  King 
and  his  French  enemies.  And  first  enquiry  being  taken 
by  oath  of  the  true  and  legitimate  cause  for  exchange,  the 
exchange  was  negociated  in  this  way.  On  which  day  and 


40  THE    RECTORS. 

place  the  said  John  Darlyng  made  oath  of  obedience  as  is 
the  custom  and  obtained  letters  of  induction  in  the  usual 
form. 

The  King  Richard  II.  also  presented  the  three 
succeeding  Rectors  :— 

nth  March,  1378-9     HENRY  HUSSEBORNE  by 

exchange    with    John 
Darlynge    for    the 
Vicarage    of    Steven- 
ton,  Berks. 

6th  July,  1382  THOMAS    FLEMYNG    by 

exchange  with  H. 
Hussebourn    for    the 
Vicarage    of   Winter- 
bourn  Stoke. 

27th  October,  1382      JOHN   AUNGER   by   ex- 
change with  Thomas 
Flemyng    for    the 
Vicarage  of  Letcombe 
Regis,  Berks. 

After  this  date  and  during  the  disturbed  time 
at  the  close  of  the  reign  of  King  Richard  II.,  the 
patronage  of  the  living  seems  to  have  been  giiren 
to  the  Prior  of  the  Hospital  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem  in  England,  in  whose  name  one  Hilde- 
brand  Inge  presented  at  the  next  vacancy  :— 

i4th  January,  1392-3      JOHN     KILCALE     by 

exchange  with  John 
Aunger   for   the 
Rectory  of  Quinton, 
Worcestershire. 

On  August  I2th,  1394,  this  John  Kilkale 
received  permission  to  remain  for  life  in  England, 
although  he. was  Irish,  whereas  all  Irishmen  had 
been  ordered  to  return  to  Ireland  before  the 


THE    RECTORS.  4! 

next  Feast  of  the  Assumption.  A  curious  proof 
of  the  unpopularity  of  the  race  at  this  early 
date. 

Henry  IV.  made  two  presentations  during  the 
course  of  his  reign  :— 

On  the  i6th  October,  1409     ROBERT        ATTE 

MILNE  on  the 
resignation  ot 
John  Kilkale. 

On  the  2nd  December,  1412  JOHN  MARTYN  by 

exchange  with 
Robert       atte 
Milne    for    the 
Vicarage  of 
Bisham,  Berks. 

Henry  V.  presented  as  follows  :— 
On  the  26th  August,  1413  WILLIAM  COWDRAY 

on    the    resigna- 
tion  of   John 
Martyn. 

(William  Cowdray  was  of  the  same  name  and 
may  have  been  of  the  family  of  the  then 
lords  of  the  Manor  of  Padworth). 
On  the  ist  March,  1415-16  JOHN    SKEFFYNG- 

TON  by  exchange 
with  William 
Cowdray  for  the 
Rectory       of 
Whaddon, 
Wilts.O 

On  the  i5th  January,  1417,  ROBERT  WEBLEY. 
Robert  Webley,  the  Parish  Priest,  is  here  styled 
Dominus,  a  title  translated  into  English  as  Sir, 
very  commonly  given  in  olden  days  to  the  bene- 

(i)  Pat  Roll.     3  Hen.  V.  2  m  4. 


42  THE    RECTORS. 

ficed  clergy.  As  an  instance  we  may  quote  the 
name  of  Shakespeare's  character,  Sir  Hugh  Evans 
in  the  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor. 

The  wording  of  his  institution  has  been  trans- 
lated as  follows  and  is  here  given  as  a  sample  :— 

On   the   \5ih  day  of  January,    1417-18,   the  Reverend 

Father  in  his  Hospice  near  the  ancient  Church  of  St.  Paul 

in  London   admitted  Robert   Webley   clerk   to   the  parish 

Church  of  Padworth  in  the  diocese  of  Salisbury  vacant. 

He  was  presented  by  the  most  serene  Prince  in   Christ 

our  lord  Henry  by  the  Grace  of  God  King  of  England  and 

France  and  Illustrious  lord  of  Ireland.     He  was  admitted 

to   the   said  Rectory   and   instituted   canonically   with   its 

legal   rights   and  general   appertenances   the   oath   having 

been  taken  by  him  of  canonical  obedience,  he  was  sent  to 

the  Archdeacon  or  his  official  for  induction  to  the  same 

that  he  might  have  the  necessary  letters. 

It    may   be    mentioned    that    when    a    date    is 

written    as    above — 1417-18 — it     expresses    the 

difference  between  the  old  and  new  styles. 

On  the  i3th  December,  1421     JOHN     GNOUSHALE 

by  exchange  with 
Robert  Webley 
for  the  Vicarage 
of     Stratfield 
Mortimer,  Berks. 

On  the  3oth  January,  1426-7  NICHOLAS  STIWARD(T) 
Henry  VI' s  presentations  were  very  numerous. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  he  succeeded  to  the 
throne  as  a  child  of  nine  months  old,  and  that 
though  troubled  by  civil  wars  his  reign  was, 
with  that  of  George  III.  and  our  late  Queen 
Victoria  one  of  the  longest  on  record  in  our 
history. 

(i)  Pat  Roll.     5  Henry  VI.  &  18.     Harley  MSS.     British  Museum, 


THE    RECTORS. 


43 


The  presentations  are 
loth  March,  1433-4 


I4th  February,  1435-6 


2ist  December,  1437 


3rd  May,  1448 


23rd  October,  1451 
2Oth  November,  1451 
i6th  November,  1454 
2nd  April,  1457 


THOMAS  SALTER  on 
the  resignation  of 
Nicholas  Stiward. 

GALFRIED  (or  Geoffry) 
STEVENTON  by 
exchange  with 

Thomas  Salter  for 
the  Rectory  of 
Minstead,  Hants. (J) 

WILLIAM  DEYSTER  by 
exchange  with  G. 
Steventon  for  the 
Rectory  of  Trotton, 
Sussex. 

WILLIAM    LEYGHTON 
by    exchange    with 
William  Deyster  for 
the  Vicarage  of 
Barton    Stacey, 
Hants. 

RICHARD  FRYSTON  on 
the  resignation  of 
William  Leyghton. 

JOHN  LYLLYNTON  by 
exchange  with 

Richard  Fryston. 

JOHN  WYLLASTON  on 
resignation  of  John 
Lyllyngston. 

ROBERT  WHYTE  on 
resignation  of  John 
Wyllaston. 


(i)   Pat  Roll.      14  Henry  VI.  m  14. 


44  THE    RECTORS. 

Wyllaston    is    probably    the    same    name    as 

Wollaston,  a  local  name  in  Berkshire, 
loth  February,  1457-8    MAURICE    DAVID    AP 

JEUN  on  the  death 

of   Robert   Whyte. 

The  name  JEUN  (u  being  equivalent  to  v)  is 

said  to  be  an  old  form  of  the  Welsh  Evans. 
Here  we  come  to  two  entries  indicative  of  the 
troubled  history  of  the  time.  The  Wars  of  the 
Roses  were  raging  and  now  the  Yorkists  and  again 
the  Lancastrians  got  the  upper  hand.  The  next 
presentation  is  made  by  the  Duke  of  York, 
styling  himself  Edward  IV. 

i3th  October,  1464         WILLIAM  BOCHER. 
But  again  the  old  King  Henry  VI.  was  set 
up  in  his  place  and  twice  before  his  imprisonment 
and  death  his  name  appears  as   Patron  of  the 
Living  of  Padworth. 

ist  April,  1471  DAVID      MILES      on 

the    resignation    of 
William  Bocher. 
24th  February,  JEROME  SPERKFELD 

1479-80  or  SperkfordJ1) 

Then  in  the  confusion  and  disorder  throughout 
the  country,  consequent  on  the  termination  of  the 
civil  wars  and  the  change  of  dynasty,  Henry  VII., 
scarcely  yet  firmly  seated  on  the  throne,  seems 
to  have  delegated  his  patronage  to  the  Keeper 
of  the  Hospital  of  St.  Julian,  commonly  called 
the  House  of  God  in  the  town  of  Southampton 
and  the  chaplain  and  brothers  of  the  same  who 
presented  :— 

7th  July,  1488  THOMAS     CLERK     on 

the    resignation    of 
Jerome  Sperkfeld. 

(i)  Pat  Rolls.     19  Edward  IV.  m  8. 


THE  RECTORS.  45 

Henry  VII.  himself  made  the  next  presentation. 
2nd  December,  1495.  JOHN  RUSHEME. 

From  this  date  to  1559  there  occurs  a  gap  in 
the  records  of  presentations  to  the  living.  We 
learn,  however,  from  local  wills(')  in  which  his 
name  is  mentioned  either  as  witness  or  overseer 
that,  from  the  year  1527-57  one  John  Burshew 
was  Parson  of  Padworth.  We  are  reminded  by 
this  interruption  in  the  Bishop's  Register  that 
the  Church  was  going  through  a  period  of  transi- 
tion and  trouble.  In  1533  Henry  VIII.  had 
quarrelled  with  the  Church  of  Rome  and  had 
required  all  the  clergy  to  subscribe  their  acceptance 
of  the  Royal  Supremacy,  and  during  the  reign 
of  Edward  VI.  the  ritual  of  the  Church  of  England 
was  altered  and  the  Prayer  Book  in  English, 
much  as  we  have  it  now,  was  substituted  for  the 
Roman  Service  in  Latin.  Perhaps  these  changes 
were  not  strictly  enforced  in  remote  country 
Parishes  or,  perhaps,  the  Rector  of  Padworth 
accepted  them,  since  we  find  him  in  residence 
during  the  whole  time  and  also  during  the  short 
reign  of  Mary,  when  Papal  authority  was  again 
recognised  and  the  rites  of  the  Roman  Church 
performed  in  churches  throughout  the  country. 
The  last  mention  we  have  of  John  Burshew  is  as 
witness  to  the  will  of  John  Lyttelfyld  who  died 
in  1557,  one  year  before  the  accession  of  Elizabeth 
and  the  final  establishment  of  the  reformed 
faith. 

On  the  3rd  July,  1559,  John  Stafford  was 
nominated  Rector  of  Padworth  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth and,  on  his  death  in  1576,  Robert  Hobson 
was  appointed  as  his  successor.  He  resigned  in 

(i)  Will  of  Richard  Brightwell,  Somerset  House,  1544.     Archdeaconry 

of  Berks. 


46  THE  RECTORY. 

1599  and>  on  the  27th  of  June  of  that  year, 
William  Griffith  (or  Griff yn),  M.A.,  succeeded  him. 
This  is  the  first  occasion  on  which  we  find  the 
letters  of  Academical  degree  attached  to  any 
Rector's  name,  and  of  this  man  we  know  also 
something  more,  owing  to  the  fact  that  his  will, 
among  others  at  Padworth,  is  preserved  in 
Somerset  House  in  a  collection  belonging  to  the 
Archdeaconry  of  Berks. (J)  It  begins  :— 

In  the  name  of  God  Amen /  William  Griffith  of 

Padworth  clerk  being  sicke  in  bodye  but  of  good  and  pfect 

remembrance  Laude  and  prayse  be  to  Almightie  God  doe 

make  and  ordaine  this  my  last  will  and  Testamt  in  manner 

and  forme  followinge  viz  :   Fyrst  I  comend  my  soule  to 

Almightie  God  my  maker  and  redeemer  and  my  bodie  to 

be  buried  in  the  Chauncell  of  ye  Ptsh    Church  of  Padworth 

aforesaid  Inprimis,  I  give  and  bequeathe  to  ye  Cathedrall 

Church  of   Saru  xijd-  Item,  I    give  towards  the   repacone 

(reparation)  of    ye   Pish    Church   of    Padworth   iijs    iiijd 

Item,  I  give  toward  ye  repaire  and  amendinge  of  ye  way 

by  Browne's  poole  in  Padworth  iijs  iiijd- 

He  then  bequeaths  to  the  Parish  Church  of  St. 

Mary's,  Reading  (perhaps  where  he  had  formerly 

served  as  priest)   and  to  the  poor  of  the  same 

parish    Xd   viz  Vd  a  peice,  and  the  same  sum  to 

William   Marshall   clerke    (priest)    of  St.   Mary's. 

Then  follow  bequests  to  six  of  the  poorer  sort  of 

people  in  Padworth.      To  Good  wife  Longe  ocijd  - 

to  Widow  Wise  xijd  — to  Thomas  Morley  ocijd  — to 

John  Thomson  %ijd  — to  William  Waborne  (no  sum 

mentioned)    and    to     William    Horton  %ijd    After 

similar   small  bequests    to  his  three  Godsonnes  at 

Goring   he   leaves    to   Mathew    Symmes,    Robert 

Wyckens,    George    Bernerde,    George    Hawkins, 

John  Stydman,  John  Mylles  and  Thomas  Aslett 

of    Padworth    and     Aldermaston      Vd     each   for 

(i)  Somerset  House.      K.2Q3. 


THE  RECTORS.  47 

carrying  me  to  ye  Church  and  see  me  buried. 

Other  Padworth  people  mentioned  are  Richard 
Urling  and  John  Aslett  whom  he  prays  to  be 
assistance  to  the  overseers  of  his  will  : — in  over- 
seeing my  goodes  yf  none  be  purloyned  away. 

He  makes  further  bequests  to  his  servant  and 
to  his  loving  and  trusty  Frend  Mr.  Evans  parson 
of  Cromersh  in  the  County  of  Oxon  and  to  William 
Madogge  Master  of  Arts.  He  also  mentions  John 
Wright  of  Christchurch,  Oxford. 

Of  wordly  goods,  beside  the  small  legacies 
already  mentioned,  he  only  alludes  to  his  best 
Lynnen  which  he  leaves  for  a  token  of  my  dutie 
to  my  Father  :  the  rest  of  his  belongings  are 
apparently  to  be  sold  to  pay  the  legacies,  the 
expenses  of  his  funeral  and  his  just  debts,  as, 
for  instance,  to  James  Littlefield  of  Padworth 
iij£  and  to  John  Haslett  xs,  also  to  certain  trades- 
men in  Reading. 

Of  relatives  none  are  mentioned  except  his 
father  and  a  Loving  brother  David  whom  he  makes 
his  full  and  sole  executor.  Those  were  before 
the  days  of  the  married  clergy  and  he  had  no  wife 
or  child  to  remember.  The  will  is  witnessed 
by  Christopher  Hildesley  (clerk) — of  the  Beenham 
family  probably — and  by  Robert  Evans  (clerk) 
no  doubt  his  friend  the  Rector  of  Cromersh, 
and  dated  the  23rd  of  February,  1605.  Of  the 
names  mentioned  in  the  will,  the  following  are 
still  known  in  the  parish  : — Hawkins,  Wickens, 
and  Astlett  or  Arlett. 

JAMES    I.'s  nominations  are  :— 

i8th  March,  1606    HAMLET  MARSHALL. 
28th  May,  1607       THOMAS  GRAVE,  B.A.,  on 

the  resignation  of  Ham- 
let Marshall. 


48  THE   RECTORS. 

Then  occurs  a  long  gap,  including  the  whole  of 
Charles  I.'s  reign  and  the  time  of  the  civil  wars 
and  Commonwealth.  During  this  period  we  know 
however  from  an  existing  Terrier  of  the  Rectory 
and  Glebe  lands  dated  1624  and  signed  T.  Grey, 
that  the  last  presented  Rector  (though  he  spelt 
his  name  differently)  was  still  in  occupation. 
If  still  there  after  the  extinction  of  the  Royalist 
cause,  he  was  probably,  in  common  with  almost 
all  Church  of  England  divines  throughout  the 
country,  ejected  from  his  living  in  favour  of 
some  Presbyterian  or  Independent  unordained 
minister,  but  of  these  events  at  Padworth  no 
account  has  come  to  light,  unless  the  following 
mention  of  Thomas  Evor  refers  to  some  such 
intruding  incumbent  during  the  time  when  one 
Parson  Harris  was  Rector. 

In  the  Protestations  taken  in  1641  (see  Library 
of  the  House  of  Lords)  Thomas  Evor  (or  Ebor) 
is  returned  as  Rector  of  Padworth.  Thomas 
Abbot  being  Churchwarden  (signed  his  X),  and 
Edward  Silver.  Parson  Harris  is  casually  men- 
tioned in  a  private  document  connected  with  the 
estate  of  Padworth  House,  date  1642,  and  he  may 
be  identical  with  Andrew  Harris  mentioned  in  the 
Parish  Registers  of  Stratfield  Mortimer,  1609-1671. 
If  we  may  suppose  the  Parson  to  have  been 
Rector  ;of  Padworth  at  the  time  in  which  his 
name  occurs  his  Rectorship  clearly  overlaps  that 
of  the  protesting  Thomas  Evor. 

From    the    Parish    Registers   we   learn  that 
(perhaps    during    the    incumbency    of   this    same 
Parson  Harris)  three  curates  served  the  parish  :— 
William  Dean,  1668  ;  William  Powell,  1670,  and 


THE    RECTORS.  49 

Robert  Butterworth,    1672 — who  witnessed  Sam1- 
Brightwell's  will. 

In  1677  Robert  King  was  Rector  of  Padworth 
and,  in  1683,  Charles  II.  nominated  George 
Goodall  to  succeed  him.  (Under  George  Goodall, 
Robert  Dixon  and  F.  Springall  acted  as  Curates.) 
This  is  the  earliest  Rector  whose  burying  place  in 
the  Church  can  be  identified,  and  connected  with 
it  is  a  singular  tradition.  It  is  said  that,  consider- 
ing himself  ill-used  by  his  parishioners  in  the 
matter  of  his  tythes,  he  himself  selected  a  spot 
in  the  gangway  in  the  centre  of  the  Church,  just 
in  front  of  the  Chancel  step,  saying  : — They  have 
trod  upon  me  in  life  and  shall  in  death.  At  the 
restoration  of  the  Church  in  1890  a  slab  of  stone 
bearing  an  inscription  was  found  on  this  spot  ; 
the  inscription  is,  as  might  be  expected,  much 
defaced.  What  remains  is  here  given,  letters 
within  brackets  being  added  to  make  it  intelli- 
gible : — 

(Hie  Jacet) 

GEO(rgius  Goodall)  S  T.  B. 

COLL  EX  (on)  Ox(oniensis)  SOCIUS 

ET  DEINDE  (hujus  parochiae)   RECTOR 


is  suae)  69 


It  is  strange  that  no  grave  was  found 
immediately  under  this  stone  though  one  exists 
close  by  on  the  South  side.  It  seems  as  though 
his  relations  had  wished  to  carry  out  his  directions 
in  appearance  while,  in  reality,  they  contrived 
to  save  his  remains  from  the  indignity  he  courted. 

The  inscription  may  be  translated  as  follows  :— 

Here  lies 
George  Goodall  Bachelor  of  Divinity. 

Fellow  of  Exeter  College  Oxford 
And  afterwards  Rector  of  this  Parish. 

Aged  69. 


50  THE    RECTORS. 

From  records  kept  at  Exeter  College  we  learn 
that  George  Goodall  matriculated  as  a  Servitor 
on  the  23rd  July,  1656,  that  he  was  elected 
Cornish  Fellow  on  the  3oth  June,  1658,  and 
admitted  on  the  2Oth  October  of  the  same  year 
in  place  of  Parker.  He  was  made  full  Fellow 
on  the  9th  of  July,  1659,  and  was  appointed  to 
the  Rectory  of  Padworth  in  1683  ;  he  resigned 
his  Fellowship  on  the  27th  June,  1689.  He  had 
taken  his  Bachelor  Degree  on  the  I3th  July, 
1661,  he  was  Master  of  Arts  on  the  23rd  of  April, 
1664,  and  Bachelor  of  Divinity  on  the  I3th  Oct- 
ober, 1676.  This  would  be  the  S.T.B.  on  the 
tombstone.  It  is  also  recorded  that  he  be- 
queathed £20  to  his  College  at  his  death 
which  occurred  in  1707.  His  wife,  Jane,  had 
died  at  Padworth,  May  nth,  1697.  (See  Pad- 
worth  Registers,  page  81.)  A  facsimile  of  his 
signature  is  here  given. 


To  continue  the  list  of  Rectors. 
By  Queen  Anne's  nomination  :— 

24th  January,  1707-8     WILLIAM    BAKER    on 

the    death    of    the 
last  incumbent. 
By  George  I.'s  nomination  :— 

i4th  December,  1715      LANCELOT  CARLETON, 

A.M.,  on  the  death 
of  William  Baker. 

During  the  incumbency  of  this  Rector,  a  dispute 
arose  between  him  and  his  parishioners  headed 
by  the  Lord  of  the  Manor,  Loftus  Brightwell, 


THE  RECTORS.  51 

as  to  his  right  to  collect  from  them  tythes  in 
kind,  and  the  testimony  of  various  witnesses, 
villagers,  was  taken  on  both  sides.  These  were 
asked  whether  such  tythes  had  ever  in  their 
memory  been  paid  on  milk,  eggs  or  garden  produce. 
The  answers  they  gave  have  been  preserved 
among  other  documents  relating  to  the  Parish, 
and  are  interesting  as  giving  some  idea  of  country 
village  life  at  the  time. 

Hew  Giles  never  knew  milk  in  kind  paid  for 
Tith,  he  usually  rented  his  tith  togeather  at  a  certain 
sum  for  the  whole  year,  that  one  year  during  the 
incumbency  of  Dr.  Baker,  Mr.  Bristow  who  rented 
the  tiths  of  him  demanded  ^d.  for  each  cow  which  he 
paid. 

Mary  Brown  said  she  hath  never  known  tith  in 
kind  paid  for  milk  but  hath  heard  customary  paimt 
hath  been  two  pence  per  cow  for  the  tith  of  the  milk 
of  every  Cow  fed  above  the  lane  called  Burfield 
Lane  and  three  pence  pr  Cow  below  Burfield  Lane. 

Burfield  Lane  is  no  longer  known  by  that  name 
but  from  this  allusion  to  it  it  is  evident  that  it 
must  have  divided  the  Parish  roughly  North  and 
South  ;  the  pasture  in  the  low  land  of  the  river 
valley  in  the  North  yielding  a  better  return  of 
milk  per  cow  than  the  poor  gravel  soil  of  the 
higher  ground  to  the  South. 

As  for  eggs  : — Hew  Giles  kept  no  poultry  but 
cocks  and  hens,  saith  there  hath  been  a  certain  number 
of  eggs  paid  yearly  on  Good  Friday,  viz.  :  three 
eggs  for  every  cock  and  two  eggs  for  each  hen,  and 
with  this  the  other  witnesses  agree  ;  Ralf  ffalkner 
saying  that  though  he  had  never  paid  such  tith 
himself,  he  hath  frequently  heard  severall  of  the 
ancient  inhabitants,  since  dead,  say,  a  certain  number 


52  THE    RECTORS. 

of  eggs   hath   been   accepted   by  the   Rector  for   all 
breed  of  poultry. 

In  respect  of  gardens,  the  opinion  was  unanimous 
that  no  tith  for  the  produce  had  ever  been  paid 
in  kind  but  Mary  Brown  hath  heard  that  it  was 
the  Custom  of  the  parish  to  pay  a  penny  for  the 
tith  of  every  garden  commonly  called  the  Garden 
penny. 

Edward  Silver  hath  heard  antient  people  now 
dead  say  the  same  but  never  knew  it  to  be  paid. 

Tythes  in  kind  were  evidently  a  vanishing 
custom  at  the  time.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of 
the  same  enquiry  that  some  information  was 
elicited  concerning  the  sites  of  the  three  mills  once 
existing  within  the  Parish,  mention  of  which  will 
be  found  in  Chapter  V.  on  the  Parish. 

By  George  II. 's  nomination  :— 

i3th  November,  1730     JOHN  CLARKE  on  the 

death    of   Lancelot 
Carle  ton. 

In  Cough's  British  Topography  (Vol.  I.,  p.  177) 
Mr.  Clarke  is  said  to  have  collected  many  specimens 
of  Berkshire  fossils  and  to  have  been  largely 
concerned  in  methodising  Sir  Hans  Sloane's 
cabinet. 

By  George  III.'s  nomination  :— 

ist  October,  1777    JOHN  DAVIES  on  the  death 

of  John  Clarke. 

John  Davies  was  buried  at  Padworth  on  the 
22nd  January,  1790,  aged  63.  (See  Padworth 
Register,  page  97.) 

1790.     John  Jefferson  on  the  death  of  John 
Davies. 

This  last  entry  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Sarum 
Register  : — it  is  supplied  by  the  Secy  of  Presenta- 
tions. 


THE    RECTORS.  53 

6th  June,  1792  JOSEPH  EDWARDS  by 

the  death  of  the  last 
incumbent. 

25th  January,  1796     FRANCIS  HENCHMAN  by 

cession   of   Joseph 
Edwards. 
(Francis  Henchman  received  a  legacy  of  £21 

from  Mrs.  Catherine  Griffith  in  1802). 
27th  May,  1801  JOHN  HEMUS,  D.D.,  on 

the   resignation   of 
Francis  Henchman. 

Dr.  Hemus'  death,  together  with  that  of  his 
wife  and  son,  are  recorded  on  two  oval  tablets  of 
white  marble  which  were  originally  affixed  to  the 
East  wall  of  the  Apse  on  either  side.  At  the 
restoration  of  the  Church  in  1890  they  were 
removed  and  placed  under  the  Belfry  on  the 
West  wall.  The  inscription  referring  to  Dr. 
Hemus  is  given  on  page  TOO  among  other  monu- 
mental inscriptions. 

By  George  IV. 's  nomination  :— 

qth  October,  1823    GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS, 

on   the   death   of   John 
Hemus. 

This  is  the  last  entry  in  the  Sarum  Registers  ; 
before  the  next  appointment  was  made,  Padworth 
had  been  placed  in  the  Diocese  of  Oxford.  Mr. 
Curtis,  with  his  wife  and  a  son  and  daughter, 
are  buried  in  the  Churchyard. 

By  Queen  Victoria's  nomination  :— 

1865.     WILLIAM  COLE  on  the  death  of  George 

William  Curtis. 

1873.  WILLIAM  BUTLER  on  the  resignation  of 
William  Cole  who  accepted  the 
living  of  Brough  in  Yorkshire. 


54   THE   RECTOR,    CURATES  AND   CHURCHWARDENS. 


1882.     ROBERT  ELTON  LEE  on  the  resignation 

of  William  Butler. 

1888.     WILLIAM  O.  CLINTON  on  the  resigna- 
tion of   Robert   Elton   Lee   on   his 
appointment     to     the      living     of 
Stanford-in-the-Vale,  Berks. 
Since  that  to  Dr.  Hemus  no  other  monument 
has  been  erected  in  the  Church  to  the  memory 
of  any  Rector,   unless  the  painted  glass  in  the 
Eastern  light  of  one  of  the  South  windows  of  the 
Chancel,    which   was   put   up   in  memory  of   Mr. 
Butler    by     his    son     and     daughters    with    an 
inscription,  may  be  considered  such. 

LIST  OF  CURATES  BETWEEN  A.D.  1557  and 

1865. 

Sir  William  Good-  ;  1681.  F.  Springall 


1557- 

body    (serving 

priest) 

1668.  William  Deane 
1670.  William  Powell 
1672.  Robert  Butter- 
worth 
1680.  Robert  Dixon 


1707.  William  Innes 
1753.  George  Wilkinson, 

L.L.B. 

1847.  James  Trevitt 
1859.  F-  H-  Curtis 
1861.  P.W.Curtis 
1864.  William  Cole. 


LIST     OF     CHURCHWARDENS. 


1607. 


,-  Edward  Arlett 
°5-ljohnMilles 

James    Littlefeld 
George  Arlat 
1615.  Edward  Carter 

(John  ffickas 
4'{  Walter  Portsmouth 
(Thomas  Abbot 
"  (Edward  Silver 


1670.  John  Milles 
1672.  William  Webb 

(John  Neale 
1721 'I Vincent  Webb 
1754.  Matthew  May 

j  William  Deacon 


1853- 


^Thomas  Faulkner 


CHURCHWARDENS,    OVERSEERS,    SIDESMEN.      55 


LIST   OF   CHURCHWARDENS— continued. 


i858tilli88o.  William 

Balding 

1858.  John  Brown 
1866.  William  Tew 
1871.  George  Cox 
1874.  Charles  Charl- 

wood 

1879.  W.  D.  Strange 
1881.  Thomas  Faulkner 


1882.  John  Hill 
1883  till  1901. 

F.  W.  Balding 
1884.  W.D.  Strange 
1886.  C.  Darby  Griffith 
1891.  James  Day 
1898.  i  C.  Darby  Griffith 
1901. 1  A.  E.  Scutt 

and  till  present  date. 


LIST  OF  OVERSEERS  OF  THE  POOR. 


1605. 


(Andrew  White 


I  Edward  Silver 
1624.  William  Angle 
1670.  William  George 
1787.  Francis  Prior 

1851.  William  Deacon 

1852.  Richard  Emmens 

1853.  William  Balding 
1859.  Thomas  Elliott 

1861.  Alfred  Harris 

1862.  Thomas  Faulkner 

1863.  John  Brown 
1867.  William  Tew 
1871.  George  Cox 
1876.  R.  Cook 


f  James  Butler 
1879. jF.  Young 

'  James  Stratton 
1881.  John  Hill 

1882  fW'  D'  StranSe 
"IF.  W.  Balding 

1884.  J.  Harris 
1886.  M.  W.  Iremonger 
1891.  R.  H.  Soper 
1893.  F.  Faulkner 
1899.  A.  J.  Smith 
1895.  J.  Barefoot 
1901.  A.  E.  Scutt 
1904.  R.  C.  Ratcliffe 
1908.  A.  A.  S.  Willett 


SIDESMEN. 


G.  Littlefield 
1624.  Richard  Worte 

lEdmond  Worting 
1899.  J.  P.  Bucknell 


1899.  A.  E.  Scutt 

1901.  A.  J.  Smith 

1906.  R.  C.  Ratcliffe 

1908.  A.  A.  S.  Willett 


PARISH    CLERKS. 


PARISH   CLERKS. 

1744  to  1778.         I  1838  to  1871. 


Matthew  May, 
died  1792. 
in  1802.  George  Stacey, 

died  1802. 

in  1838.  Barnard  Engel- 
field,  died  1841. 


Joseph  Soper, 
resigned  1871 


1871  to  1911. 


Edward   Hobbs. 


PATTERN    OF   OLD   TILE. 

From  a  small  fragment  preserved  in  the  Vestry. 


XVI. 


EDWARD    HOBBS,    PARISH    CLERK    1871    to    1911 


CHAPTER  III. 

MONUMENTAL   INSCRIPTIONS. 

Besides  such  as  have  been  already  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  Rectors,  there  are  various 
monuments  and  inscribed  slabs  on  the  walls  and 
in  the  pavement  of  the  Church,  commemorating 
the  deaths  of  members  of  the  families  of  the 
Squires  of  Padworth,  and  also  a  few  of  other 
persons,  but  none  are  of  very  ancient  date. 

If  any  such  memorials  existed  of  the  earlier 
Lords  of  the  Manor — the  Cowdrays,  or  their 
immediate  descendants — they  have  been  entirely 
cleared  away  to  make  room  for  the  records  of 
their  successors.  One  stone  coffin  lid  only  remains 
which,  from  its  shape,  may  be  Norman,  but  must 
at  any  rate  date  from  before  the  XVth  Century, 
but  no  inscription  or  device  of  any  sort  has  been 
found  on  it  to  identify  it  with  any  particular 
person  or  time.  It  has  long  lain  in  the  pavement  of 
the  porch,  and  because  the  surface  was  much  worn 
away,  in  1890  the  under  side  was  turned  uppermost, 
but  it  was  left  in  the  same  position.  This  cannot, 
however,  be  its  original  situation  ;  for,  besides 
that  there  appears  to  have  been  no  porch  at  all 
in  early  days,  it  has  always  been  a  universal 
practice  in  Christendom  to  face  coffins  East  and 
West  with  the  feet  towards  the  East,  the  idea 
being  that  the  dead  rising  at  the  Resurrection 
may  face  towards  our  Lord  coming  from  the  East. 
This  stone  now  lies  North  and  South. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  fragments  of 
worked  stone  found  in  the  jambs  of  the  South- 
East  window  of  the  Apse,  blocked  up  for  many 


58  MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS. 

years,  may  have  once  formed  the  part  of  this 
coffin  where  the  head  lay.  These  are  now  pre- 
served in  the  Vestry. 

To  begin  with  the  memorials  of  the  Squires  and 
their  families  in  chronological  order.  The  earliest 
of  such  memorial  inscriptions  in  the  Church  is 
on  a  black  marble  slab,  the  most  Northern  of 
three  which  lie  within  the  Altar  rails  in  the  Apse. 
It  is  as  follows  :— 

"HERE   NEXT   YE   BODY   OF 

THOMAS   BRIGHTWELL  Esq. 

&   ANN  HIS   WIFE   LYETH 

INTERRED   YE   BODY   OF  SAMUELL 

BRIGHTWELL   Esq.    THEIR   SON 

&  heir  who  died  loth  Oct  :  1679 

&  had  issue  by  Susannah  His 

Wife  neice  &  hiere  to  John  Loftus 

of  Luteiton  in  ye  County 

Northton  Gent  &  daughter 

of  Joshua  Loftus  his  younger 

Brother  :  2  sons  Loftus  & 

Thomas,  5  daughters — Anna 

His  first  borne  child,  Susanna, 

Mary,  Elizabeth,  &  Hannah." 

On  the  corresponding  slab  of  black  marble 
towards  the  South  side  of  the  Apse  is  the  follow- 
ing :- 

"HERE   LIES   ANNA   ELDEST   DAU 

TER  &   FIRST   BORN   CHILD   OF   SAM 
BRIGHTWELL  ESQn.  WHO   DYED   YE   13™ 
OF   MARCH   i68| 

The  two  numbers  f  refer  to  the  old  and  new 
style  of  reckoning  the  year. 

Immediately  in  the  centre  of  the  Apse,  and 
against  the  extreme  East  wall  of  the  Church 
there  stood,  until  it  was  removed  in  1890,  an 
imposing  white  marble  monument,  erected  by  the 
Loftus  Brightwell  mentioned  above  as  the  eldest 


MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS.  59 

son  of  Samuel,  to  the  memory  of  his  wife,  Mary 
Brightwell.  It  now  stands  against  the  West  wall. 
The  inscription  is  in  Latin  and  has  been  trans- 
lated as  follows  :— 

"  To  the  Eternal  Memory 

Of  Mary  Brightwell  wife  of  Loftus  Brightwell  Esquire 
whose  remains  lie  here.  She  was  the  only  surviving  child 
of  Henry  Sayer  formerly  of  Hounslow  in  the  County  of 
Middlesex  Esquire  by  Mary  his  first  wife  daughter  and 
co-heiress  with  Elizabeth  her  sister  (sometime  wife  of 
Edward  Hoby  of  Bisham  in  the  County  of  Berks)  of 
Francis  Style  of  the  parish  of  Missenden  in  the  county  of 
Bucks  Esquire  and  by  the  death  of  Elizabeth  only  child 
of  the  said  Edward  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  the  Rt.  Honble 
the  Earl  of  Sterline,  sole  heiress  of  that  family.  She  was  a 
most  attentive  and  faithful  wife.  In  her  family  she  was  a 
fond  and  Careful  mother,  a  kind  and  thoughtful  manager 
of  her  household,  a  helpful  genial  and  honest  adviser  to 
her  relations  and  friends,  an  experienced  and  wise  helper 
and  benefactress  to  the  poor  and  needy  and,  above  all,  a 
most  devoted  worshipper  of  the  Great  and  Good  God. 
She  breathed  her  last,  relinquishing  her  own  sad  longings 
and  ripe  for  heaven  after  a  life  spent  in  works  of  goodness 
and  piety,  noted  and  beloved  by  all  for  her  most  amiable 
character.  Her  husband  sorrowing  and  bereaved  has 
placed  this  monument  to  her  honour  as  a  small  memorial 
of  a  happy  union  and  a  great  love  and  in  order  to  place 
her  before  those  of  his  own  time  and  their  descendants 
as  an  example  worthy  of  imitation. 

She  died  on  the  4th  January  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 

1711. 
Go,  reader,  mourn  and  learn. 


Below  this  inscription  is  added  the  following  :— 
Here  also  is  buried  Loftus  Brightwell  Esquire,  a  man 
as  a  husband,  while  she  was  alive,  most  loving  to  his 
wife,  and  to  her  memory  after  death,  a  most  devoted 
worshipper.  As  a  father  kind  and  fond  to  his  children. 
As  a  magistrate  in  carrying  out  the  law,  active  and 
upright,  especially  in  all  that  concerned  the  care  of  the 


60  MONUMENTAL   INSCRIPTIONS. 

poor.     And  finally,  in  all  life's  duties  most  worthy  of 
praise  and  imitation. 

At  last  having  reached  old  age  he  calmly  slept  in  the 
Lord  on  the  nth  April  1738  aged  77. 

To  the  memory  of  an  honoured  father  his  four  surviving 
daughters  and  Co-heiresses  have  placed  this  inscription. 


In  front  of  where  the  monument  originally  stood, 
on  the  centre  slab  of  the  three  above  described 
as  lying  in  the  East  end  of  the  Chancel,  is  the 
following  record  (in  English)  :— 

Here  in  the  same  Grave  with  Mary 
his  deceased  Wife  lieth  the  Body  of 
Loftus  Brightwell  Esqr.  who  died 
the  1 7th  April  Anno  Domini 

1738  aetatis  77. 

Above  on  the  same  slab  is  recorded  the  death  of 
Susannah  Brightwell,  in  Latin,  here  translated  :— 

To  the  Memory 

Of  SUSAN   BRIGHTWELL  Widow 
of   SAMUEL   BRIGHTWELL   Esquire 
This  marble  memorial  slab  is  dedicated 
By  their  eldest  son  LOFTUS   BRIGHTWELL   Esquire 
To  a  mother  most  dear  and  beloved 
Remarkable  for  charity  and  other  graces 
The  South  side  of  which  slab  covers  the  remains  of 
MARY    BRIGHTWELL    (commemorated  above) 
SUSAN   BRIGHTWELL   died  the  26th  March 
In  the  year  of  our  Lord  1712  aged  81. 
Neither    Loftus    Brightwell' s    younger   brother 
Thomas  nor  any  one  of  his  four  sisters,  Susannah, 
Mary,  Elizabeth  or  Hannah,  who  are  mentioned 
on  their  father  Samuel  Brightwell' s    tombstone, 
appear  to  have  been  buried  at  Padworth,  at  any 
rate  no  memorial  commemorates  them.     Of  his 
children  his  second  son  Thomas  died  before  him. 
A  marble  tablet  fixed  to  the  North  wall  of  the  Nave, 
close   to   the   Chancel   Arch,    is   inscribed   to   his 

An  elder  brother,  Samuel,  had  died  in  infancy,      p.  82. 


MONUMENTAL   INSCRIPTIONS.  6l 

memory  and  also  to  that  of  the  three  daughters, 
as  follows  :— 

Near  this  place  lies  interred  ye  Body  of  Thomas 

Son  of  Loftus  Bright  well  Esq.  and  Mary  his  wife. 

In  years  a  Child  ;  a  full  grown  Man  in  Virtues 

Enriched  with  many  Endowments  both  Intellectual  & 

Moral  ! 
A    Dutiful    Son  !    an    affectionate    Brother ;    a    sincere 

Friend  ! 

Pious  to  God  !  nor  less  benevolent  to  Man  ! 
His  Universal  Goodness  gained  him  Universal  Love, 
While  Living  an  Honour  to  his  Family  ! 
When  Dead  as  great  a  Grief  to  it  ! 
His  Soul  adorned  with  Heavenly  Graces 
He  calmly  resigned  to  Heaven 
June  the  24th  A.D.  1721  Aged  16. 


To  the  Memory  of  her  truly  beloved  Brother  his 
Sister  Elizabeth  erected  this  Monument.  But  his 
own  Excellencies  reflect  a  higher  Lustre  on  him 
than  any  Monument  That  can  be  raised  by  Art. 
Ye  who  Live  strive  to  Live  after  Him. 


Here  also  lies  the  Body  of  Susannah,  the  eldest 
Daughter  of  Loftus  Brightwell  Esq.  and  Mary  his  wife 
who  died  March  the  i8th  A.D.  1739  aged  50. 


As  Likewise  Ann  Widow  of  Richard  Chicheley  Doctor 

of  Law,  the  Third  Daughter  of   Loftus  Brightwell  Esq. 

And   Mary  his   Wife  :    Who   died   September   the   i8th 

A.D.  1740  aged  37. 


And  here  are  deposited  the  Remains  of  the  Above-named 
Eliz:  Brightwell  who  died  the  2ist  day  of  Janrv  1765 
aged  57. 


The  remains  of  the  brother  and  sisters  were  all 
placed  in  a  vault  immediately  in  front  of  and 
beneath  the  wall  on  which  this  tablet  is  fixed. 
An  entry  is  made  in  the  Parish  Registers  to  the 


62  MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS. 

effect  that  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brightwell  was  the 
last  person  of  the  family  of  that  name  buried  here. 
At  her  death  a  third  of  the  property  passed  to 
the  daughter  of  Ann  and  Dr.  Richard  Chicheley 
whose  name  was  also  Ann,  and  who  was  the  first 
wife  of  Christopher  Griffith,  the  second  of  that 
name.  Her  Monument  is  fixed  to  the  South  wall 
of  the  Nave  towards  the  East  end.  The  inscrip- 
tion runs  thus :— 

Near  this  place  are  deposited  the  remains  of 

Ann  Late  Wife  of  CHRISTOPHER  GRIFFITH  Esq. 

She  was  the  Daughter  of  RICHARD  CHICHELEY  of 

Lambeth  in   the   county  of  Surry   L.L.D. 
By   ANN   one   of   the    Daughters   and   Co-heiresses   of 

LOFTUS  BRIGHTWELL  Esq. 

Was  Born  the  22nd  Day  of  May  1738 

And  on  the  2oth  Day  of  March  1758 

Compleated  a  short  but  most  amiable  Life 

of  Innocence  and  Goodness 

in  the  2oth  year  of  her  Age. 

Christopher  married  again  a  second  wife  who 
survived  him.  His  monument  is  affixed  to  the 
North  wall  of  the  Church,  nearly  opposite  the 
entrance  door.  His  portrait  in  bas-relief  appears 
on  an  urn,  against  which  a  female  figure  leans 
(perhaps  intended  to  represent  his  widow),  while 
she  holds  back  the  drapery  which  partially  covers 

it.     The  inscription  is  as  follows  :— 

Beneath  are  interred  the  Remains  of 
CHRISTOPHER  GRIFFITH  ESQUIRE 
who  died  January  izth  1776  in  the  $6th  year  of  his  age, 
In    each    relation,    as    a    Magistrate    and    husband 
Father  and  friend,  Few  have  equalled 

None  excelled  him. 

Called  in  the  most  honourable   and  constitutional 
Manner  to  represent  this  County  in  Parliament ; 
By  his  conduct  there,  he  fully  justified 
The  Public  Choice. 


MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS.  63 

Possessed  of  every  virtue  that  could  adorn  the 
Man  and  the  Christian  ;  He  lived  Beloved  and 
Esteemed,  and  died  universally  Lamented. 

From  Gratitude  and  Conjugal  affection 
His  most  afflicted  wife  has  caused  this 
Monument  to  be  erected. 


His  wife  who  survived  him  is  commemorated  by 
a  marble  tablet  exactly  similar  to  the  one  that 
he  had  erected  to  the  memory  of  his  first  wife, 
Ann  Chicheley.  It  is  also  fixed  to  the  South  wall 
but  further  to  the  West.  The  inscription  runs 
thus :- 

SACRED  to  the  MEMORY  of  CATHERINE  GRIFFITH 
eldest  Daughter  of  SIR  WILL™  Sl   QUINTIN  BART 

of  SCAMPSTON  in  the  County  of  YORK 
And    Widow    of     CHRISTOPHER    GRIFFITH    ESQ 

Whom  she  survived  26  Years, 

To   lament   the   Loss  of  so   excellent   a   Husband, 
And    the    Dissolution   of    that    Union. 
Which  death  alone  could  interrupt. 
She  died  the  n  of  Septr  1801, 

Aged  72. 

Having  compleated  a  long  Life 
of  PIETY  AND  VIRTUE. 


Christopher  Griffith  and  Catherine  his  second 
wife  are  buried  in  a  vault  inside  the  Church, 
below  the  window  in  the  North  wall  of  the  Nave 
and  adjoining  and  communicating  with  that 
containing  the  remains  of  the  young  Thomas 
Brightwell  and  his  sisters.  It  is  probable  also 
that  his  first  wife,  Ann  Chicheley,  is  likewise 
buried  with  him  though  her  name  is  not  inscribed 
on  the  third  coffin  placed  there.  Christopher 
Griffith  had  had  one  son  by  his  first  wife,  also 
Christopher,  but  he  died  at  ten  years  of  age, 


64  MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS. 

before  his  father,  it  is  said  from  accidental  drown- 
ing.    A  small  monumental  tablet  to  his  memory 
is  placed  over  the  South  door.     It  was  the  work 
of  the  same  sculptor   (T.   Wilton)    as  the  larger 
monument    to  the  father,   and   bears  an  elegant 
urn  in  bas-relief  and  the  following  inscription  :— 
Near  this  place  lie  interred 
the  Remains  of  CHRISTOPHER 
Son    of    CHRISTOPHER    GRIFFITH    ESQ. 

And  Ann  his  Wife. 

He   was   born   the   n^/f   day  of  Janry    1757 
And  died  the  2gth  day  of  Sepf  1767 
His  loss  was  severely  felt  by  his 
Relations  and  their  friends. 


Having  no  surviving  child  Christopher  Griffith 
had  bequeathed  his  Padworth  estates  to  his 
widow,  Mrs.  Catherine  Griffith,  and  she,  in  turn, 
left  them  to  her  nephew,  the  second  son  of  her 
sister  Mary,  wife  of  Admiral  Darby  of  Newtown 
House,  Hants,  who  is  commemorated  in  the 
Church  by  a  slab  on  the  wall  bearing  the  follow- 
ing inscription  :— 

IN  A  VAULT  NEAR  THIS  PLACE 
(REMOVED  FROM  ST  DIONIS'  BACKCHURCH  IN  THE  CITY 

OF  LONDON) 

LlE  INTERRED  THE  MORTAL  REMAINS  OF 
MAJOR    GENERAL    MATTHEW    CHITTY    DARBY 

GRIFFITH 
OF  PADWORTH  HOUSE. 

HE  WAS  THE  SECOND  SON  OF  ADMIRAL  DARBY  OF  NEW- 
TOWN  HOUSE  HANTS 
BY  MARY  HIS  WIFE  DAUGHTER  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  ST  QUINTIN 

BART. 
OF  SCAMPSTON  HALL  YORKSHIRE 

AND    ASSUMED    THE    NAME    OF    GRIFFITH    AFTER    THAT    OF 

DARBY 


MONUMENTAL   INSCRIPTIONS.  65 

IN    ACCORDANCE    WITH   THE    WILL    OF    HIS    AUNT 

MRS  CATHERINE  GRIFFITH  OF  PADWORTH  HOUSE 

SHARING    THE    FORTUNES    OF    HIS    REGT 
THE  FIRST  OR  GRENADIER  REGIMENT  OF  FOOT  GUARDS 
FOR  A  PERIOD  OF  30  YEARS  DURING  THE  GREAT  CON- 
TINENTAL WAR. 

He  served  on  the   Expedition  to  Holland  in  1799 
And    subsequently    at    many    of    the    brilliant    actions 
of    the    British    Army    in    the    Peninsular 
Particularly    at    the    Battle    of    Corunna 
Where  he  was  severely  and  dangerously  wounded  in  that 

glorious  field. 
He  departed  this  life  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him 

On  the  7th  day  of  August  1823.  aged  51. 
Also  in  the  same  place  are  deposited  those  of  Louisa 
Relict  of  the  above  Major-General  Darby  Griffith 
Third  daughter  of  Thomas  Hankey  Esq.   of    Fetcham 

Park  Surrey 

And  of  Fenchurch  Street  in  the   City  of  London. 
Who  departed  this  life  deeply  regretted 
On  the  9th  day  of  February  1851  aged  71. 


Three  brass  tablets  have  been  put  up  on  the 
inside  wall  of  the  Church  with  inscriptions  as 
follows  :— 

Under  the  South  Window  of  the  Nave  :— 

To  the  Honor  and  Glory  of  God  and  the  beloved  memory 

of  Christopher  Darby  Griffith  Esq. 
Of  Padworth  House  Berks.  Born  Sept  10  1804.  Eldest 
son  of  Major  General  Matthew  Chitty  Darby  Griffith 
Grenadier  Guards  and  Louisa  daughter  of  J.  Hankey 
Esq.  of  Fetcham  Park  Surrey  Educated  at  Eton  and 
Ch:  Ch:  Oxford.  J.P.  and  D.L.  for  Berks  M.P.  for 
Devizes  1857-1868.  Died  at  Padworth  House  March 
I9th  1885.  Buried  in  the  Family  Vault  March  23  1885. 
The  Nave  of  this  Church  of  St  John  the  Baptist  was 
restored  by  Arabella  Sarah  Darby  Griffith  his  Widow, 
A.D.  1890 


66  MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS. 

Under  the  window  in  the  North  wall  of  the 
Nave  :— 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

GENERAL 

DARBY   GRIFFITH  C.B. 
Col.  5th  Lancers,  late  Col.  Scots  Greys 
Which  regiment  he  commanded  14  years 
And  during  the  whole  Crimean  Campaigns 
Who  died,  aged  78,  November  17,  1887. 
Of  Bushey  Ruff  House  near  Dover  Kent. 
Beloved  and  Lamented. 


Under  the  monument  to  Christopher  Griffith, 
Esq.,  on  the  North  wall  of  the  Nave  :— 

In 

g  jJtrmorjj  of 
Isabella  linoa- 
imuouj  of 

Capt"    dramas  (Btoen  linos  H:|l 
and  onlu  daughter  of 

JHafor  (general 
Jftattbelu  Cbttty  §arb}j  Griffith 

of  |)adhiartb  House 

go VH  jVugust  8tb.  181S 

gted  ^pril  18tlj  189^2 

Her  body  rests  in  the  JFamilij  Uault. 

(T)  The  following  refer  to  the  family  of  a  Rector. 

NEAR  THIS  STONE 

LIE 
THE  MORTAL  REMAINS 

OF 

MRS.  RACHEL  HEMUS 

WIFE  OF 

THE  REV.  JOHN  HEMUS 

RECTOR  OF  THIS  PARISH 

SHE  DEPARTED  THIS  LIFE  FEB.  QTH,  1815 

AGED  64  YEARS 

ALSO  OF 
THE  REV.  JOHN  HEMUS,  D.D. 

WHO    DEPARTED    THIS    LlFE 

MAY  STH,  1823 
AGED  70. 

(i)  See  page  53. 


MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS.  67 

Opposite  to  this,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Apse, 
there  was  a  corresponding  oval  tablet,  now  also 
moved  to  the  West  wall  to  the  memory  of  their 
son  :— 

Sacred 

to  the  memory  of 
D.  C.  Hemus  Esqre 
Lieut  in  the  6ist  Regt  of  Foot 

and  eldest  son  of 

The  Revd  J.  Hemus  D.D.  Recr  of  the  Parish, 
who    fell   in   his   country's   cause 

at  the  Battle  of  Talavera 
on  the  28th  day  of  July  1809 

aged  24  years. 

His  father,  as  a  tribute 

to  his  amiable  qualities 

and  of  his  own  affection 

caused  this  stone  to  be  erected. 

This  slab  was  placed  over  a  blocked-up  window 
and  had  to  be  removed  when  it  was  opened  out 
in  1890. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hemus  were  buried  inside  the 
Church  ;  their  graves  have  been  identified  in  the 
Chancel  below  the  South  window  and  just  East 
of  the  column  supporting  the  Chancel  Arch  on 
that  side.  The  site  is  now  marked  by  a  small 
stone  inscribed  with  their  names. 

The  only  other  memorial  inscription  besides' 
those  recorded  above  was  found  on  a  coffin  plate 
at  the  time  of  the  restoration  in  1890,  so  defaced 
as  to  have  been  unintelligible,  except  that  it 
tallies  with  an  entry  in  the  Register  of  Burials 
It  is  thus  :— 

Mrs     .  . 

R REEN 

The  Register  records  that  Mrs.  Rachel  Green 
was  buried  August  igth,  1809. 


68  MONUMENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS. 

Mrs.  Hemus  and  her  husband,  who  died  in 
1823,  were  the  last  persons  interred  within  the 
Church  walls.  Those  members  of  the  Squire's 
family,  whose  memorials  of  a  later  date  have  been 
recorded,  were  all  buried  in  a  vault  outside 
adjoining  the  North  wall.  In  1850  an  act  was 
passed  altogether  forbidding  intra-mural  interment 
for  the  future. 

One  other  memorial  inscription,  however,  has 
been  recently  added  which  possesses  considerable 
interest.     It  is  cut  on  a  stone  slab  on  the  East 
wall  of  the  Porch  and  runs  thus  :— 
To  the  Nameless  Dead 

who  lie  near 

Supposed  to  be  Soldiers 

who  fell  in  an  encounter 

in  Aldermaston  Lane 

Between  the  forces  of 

King  Charles  the  First  and 

the  Parliament 
2ist  September  1643 
This  Stone  was  placed  1894. 

It  records  the  burial  under  this  spot  of  a  mixed 
collection  of  human  bones  which  were  found 
heaped  together  on  the  West  side  of  the 
Porch  in  the  Churchyard.  The  explanation 
here  given  is  a  probable  one.  The  fighting 
described  did  take  place  close  by  and  no  other 
known  event  in  the  history  of  the  Parish  would 
account  for  such  hasty  burial  of  many  bodies 
together.^)  This  incident  has  been  already 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Churchyard, 
see  pages  30  and  182. 


(i)  See  "  Hist,  of  Battles  of  Newbury  "  by  Walter  Money,  F.S  A, 


STAINED    GLASS. 

MODERN  STAINED  GLASS  WINDOWS  AND 
MEMORIAL    INSCRIPTIONS    CONTAINED    IN    THEM 


A  small  square  glass  panel  inserted  into  the 
North  window  of  the  Nave  was  the  only  piece  of 
coloured  glass  in  the  Church  prior  to  its  re- 
decoration  and  restoration  in  1890.  This  is  now 
to  be  seen  in  the  East  window  of  the  Porch. 
It  is  in  the  style  called  Grisail,  that  is,  it  is  drawn 
in  grey  or  brown  outline  with  only  an  occasional 
addition  of  other  colour,  generally  yellow.  It 
represents  Abigail  offering  gifts  to  King  David. 

It  is  probably  foreign  work,  either  Dutch  or 
German.  It  is  not  known  when  or  by  whom  it 
was  put  into  the  Church.  In  its  original  position 
it  was  set  in  a  frame  of  coloured  glass  of  English 
make,  not  at  all  of  the  same  style  or  harmonious 
in  colouring.  This  is  now  preserved  in  the 
Vestry. 

The  memorial  windows  put  up  since  1890  are 
the  following  :— 

The  glass  of  the  three-light  window  in  the  North 
wall  of  the  Nave  represents  Faith,  Hope  and 
Charity.  It  is  by  Messrs.  Clayton  and  Bell,  and 
was  put  up  by  Major  Darby  Griffith  to  the  memory 
of  his  mother.  The  inscription  is  :— 

In  loving  memory  of  Arabella  Sarah  widow  of 
Christopher  Darby  Griffith  who  died  on  March  23. 
1891.  Beloved  by  all. 

The  painted  glass  of  all  the  other  windows  in 
the  Church  is  by  C.  E.  Kempe,  Esq.  That  of 
the  three-light  window  in  the  South  wall  of  the 
Nave  represents  the  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds, 


7O  STAINED    GLASS. 

it  was  given  by  Mrs.  Parr,  and  has  this  inscrip- 
tion :— 

In  honour  of  the  Holy  Incarnation  of  our  Lord  Jesus 

Christ  and  in  memory  of  Major  George  Darby  Griffith 

who  died  April  I5th  1846  and  Lucinda  his  wife  who  died  on 

the  eve  of  the  Nativity  1893  this  window  is  dedicated. 

Of  the  four  windows  in  the  Chancel,  the  East 

window   representing   the   Crucifixion   was   given 

by  Mrs.  Parr,  daughter  of  the  late  Major  George 

Darby  Griffith. 

The  South-Eastern  window  representing  the 
Annunciation  was  given  by  Mrs.  George  Darby 
Griffith  with  the  inscription  :— 

"  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord. 

Blessed  art  Thou  among  women." 
Of    the    South    window    one    light    contains    a 
representation  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  :— 
In  memory  of  Rev.  W.  Butler 
10  years  Rector  of  the  Parish 

"  Repent  ye." 
and  the  other  Malachi  the  Prophet  :— 

In  memory  of  Rev.  C.  L.  Butler 
"  Behold  I  will  send  my  messenger." 
These  were  given  by  the  widow  and  children 
of  the  Rev.  W.  Butler. 

Ot  the  two  lights  of  the  North  window,  one 
representing  Isaiah  was  given  by  the  Rev.  G.  G. 
and  Mrs.  Cotton  Browne 

In  memory  of  Mrs.  Christopher  Darby  Griffith 
and  the  other,  St.  Elizabeth  :— 

In  memory  of  Mary  widow 
of  the  late  Rev.  W.  Butler 
by  her  nephews  and  nieces 
"  Thalt   shalt   have   joy   and  gladness." 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS.  (0 

The  keeping  of  Registers  of  Baptisms,  Burials, 
and  Marriages  was  not  enforced  by  law  in  England 
until  the  year  1538,  when  a  Royal  Injunction  was 
issued  by  Henry  VIII.'s  minister,  Cromwell, 
dated  September  29th,  by  which  the  Curate  of 
every  Parish  was  ordered  to  keep  one  book  or 
register,  which  book  he  shall  every  Sunday  take 
forth  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Churchwardens, 
or  one  of  them,  write  and  record  in  the  same  all 
the  Weddings  and  Christenings  and  Burials  made 
the  whole  week  before,  and  for  every  time  that  the 
said  shall  be  omitted,  shall  forfeit  to  the  said  Church 
iijs  and  iiijd. 

This  injunction  is  to  be  found  quoted  in  some  of 
the  few  original  Register  books  that  have  been 
preserved  to  us  from  that  date  ;  sometimes,  as  at 
St.  Alkmond's,  Derby,  with  the  addition  In 
obedience  to  which  this  Booke  was  provided  gth 
November,  1538. 

In  1597  a  further  Ordinance  was  issued  on  the 
subject  by  the  Clergy  in  Convocation,  receiving 
Queen  Elizabeth's  sanction  under  her  great  seal, 
according  to  which  every  minister  had,  at  the 
time  of  his  Institution  to  a  living,  to  promise  to 
keep  the  Register  book  according  to  the  Queen's 
Majesty's  instructions. 

Every  Parish  had  to  provide  itself  with  a  parch- 
ment book  into  which  the  entries  already  made 
in  the  older  paper  books  were  to  be  copied,  and 
each  page  was  to  be  signed  by  the  Minister  and 
Churchwardens  of  the  time  being.  This  parchment 
book  was  to  be  kept  in  a  sure  coffer  with  three 

(i)   The  following  is  mostly  taken   from  Mr.  Chester  Water's  valuable 
work  on  Parish  Registers,  published  by  Longman  &  Co. 


72  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

locks  of  which  the  Minister  and  Churchwardens 
were  each  to  keep  a  key,  and  furthermore  a  true 
Copy  of  the  names  of  all  persons  christened, 
married  or  buried  in  the  past  year,  was  to  be  made 
and  sent  up  within  a  month  after  every  Easter, 
to  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  to  be  preserved  among 
the  Diocesan  Archives. 

Unfortunately  this  regulation  was  very  imper- 
fectly observed.  The  clergy  often  neglected  to 
transmit  a  copy  of  their  Register  and,  moreover, 
the  Bishop's  officers  failed  to  take  sufficient  care 
of  such  transcripts  as  were  sent  up,  and,  in  conse- 
quence, the  Diocesan  transcripts  now  existing 
are  extremely  defective. 

Still,  as  it  will  be  seen  later  on  in  the  case  of 
Padworth,  such  of  these  transcripts  as  do  exist, 
now  form  most  valuable  complements  to  the  too 
often  irregularly  kept  local  Registers,  besides 
that  they  supply  gaps  caused  by  the  loss  or 
destruction  of  actual  Registers  themselves. 
Baptisms.  Fees  have  of  course  been  the  natural  accom- 
paniment of  registration,  but  for  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  there  are 
distinct  and  often  repeated  laws  of  the  Church, 
forbidding  any  such  practice  and  declaring  it  to 
be  simoniacal  and  illegal  ;  nevertheless,  in  later 
times,  the  custom  of  fees  for  Baptism  did  practi- 
cally prevail  in  England,  the  fee  being  charged, 
not  nominally  for  the  Sacrament,  but  for  its  entry 
in  the  Register  book.  But  to  the  credit  of  the 
Clergy  it  must  be  stated,  that  the  tax  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  levied  for  their  advantage, 
but  rather  to  have  been  ordered  to  be  collected 
by  them  for  the  State.  Thus  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment in  William  III.'s  reign  (1694)  imposed  a 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  73 

graduated  scale  of  duties  upon  the  registry  of 
all  births,  deaths  and  marriages,  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  money  to  carry  on  the  war  with  France. 
This  was  only  to  last  for  five  years.  But,  in 
1783,  by  the  so-called  Stamp  Act,  the  tax  was 
again  levied,  this  time  of  3d  upon  every  entry 
in  the  Parish  Register.  Such  a  tax  was  naturally 
most  felt  by  the  poor,  and  was  the  cause  of  many 
defectively  kept  Registers,  as  the  Clergy,  being 
unwilling  to  enforce  it  too  strictly  on  their  more 
needy  parishioners,  adopted  the  simple  course 
of  omitting  the  entry  altogether.  The  imposi- 
tion of  this  tax  is  mentioned  in  the  Padworth 
Register  for  the  year  1783. 

In  1843  a  new  Parish  Act  was  passed  which, 
while  allowing  fees  for  other  religious  offices, 
distinctly  declared  that  it  should  not  be  lawful 
for  any  Minister  or  Curate  to  receive  any  fee 
for  the  performance  of  any  Baptism  within  his 
Parish  or  for  its  registration.  This  Act  is  still 
in  force. 

Burials.  At  the  date  of  October  6th  1723,  an  entry  occurs 
in  the  Padworth  Parish  Register,  the  first  of  the 
kind  but  followed  by  many  others,  recording  an 
affidavit  that  John  Silvester  had  been  buried 
in  woollen. 

This  was  on  account  of  another  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment in  connection  with  the  Registers.  A  curious 
sumptuary  law  for  the  dead  had  been  passed  in 
1666,  enforcing  a  practice  of  great  antiquity, 
to  the  effect  that  no  person  should  be  buried  in 
any  shirte,  shifte  or  sheete  other  than  should  be 
made  of  wooll  onely,  the  ostensible  reason  being 
the  encouragement  of  the  wool  trade  of  the 
country.  It  was  obviously  impossible,  at  the 


74  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

time  of  burial,  to  make  sure  of  the  observance 
of  this  law  which,  therefore,  was  often  disregarded  ; 
so,  in  1678,  a  more  stringent  Act  obliged  the 
Clergy  to  require  from  the  friends  of  the  deceased, 
an  affidavit  that  the  law  had  been  complied  with 
and  to  enter  the  same  in  the  Register.  The 
Clerk,  it  seems,  was  directed  to  call  out,  standing 
by  the  side  of  the  grave  after  the  burial  service 
was  finished,  Who  makes  affidavit  ?  upon  which 
some  one  of  the  mourners  came  forward  and  took 
the  necessary  oath. 

Marriages.  Although  weddings  were  expressly  included 
in  the  Injunction,  as  being  ordered  to  be  entered 
in  the  Register,  yet,  in  spite  of  the  evident  impor- 
tance of  such  entries  to  prove  legitimacy  of  birth 
and  inheritance,  great  laxity  seems  long  to  have 
prevailed  on  the  point ;  Nonconformists  of  all 
sorts,  including  Popish  Recusants,  being  in  the 
habit  of  celebrating  their  marriages  in  their  own 
Chapels,  and  no  dispute  ensued  as  to  their  legality. 
It  was  not  till  1754,  that  a  Marriage  Act  was 
passed  for  England  and  Wales,  declaring  all 
marriages  contracted  after  that  date  to  be  illegal 
which  had  not  been  solemnised  by  license  or  banns 
in  some  Church  or  Chapel  by  a  Minister  of  the 
Church  of  England.  As  an  instance  of  this 
fact,  connected  with  the  Parish  of  Padworth, 
it  may  be  here  noticed  that,  before  the  above 
date,  no  record  has  been  found,  either  in  the 
Padworth  Registers  or  in  those  of  Ufton  or  else- 
where, of  the  marriage  of  any  member  of  the 
Perkins  family  of  Ufton  Court,  who  were  also 
owners  of  one  of  the  Manors  of  Padworth.  They 
were  Roman  Catholics,  and  were  no  doubt  married 
by  some  Roman  Priest  in  their  private  Chapel. 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  75 

But  in  1762,  subsequent  to  the  passing  of  that 
Act,  Mr.  John  Perkins,  the  last  of  his  family, 
was  married  at  Thatcham  to  Mrs.  Mary  Stafford, 
as  appears  by  an  entry  in  the  Register  of  that 
Parish. 

In  the  earliest  Registers,  Baptisms,  Burials  and 
Marriages  are  found  all  entered  together  in  order 
of  date  without  any  attempt  at  classification, 
but,  by  an  Act  of  Parliament  commonly  called 
Rose's  Act  (1812),  it  was  ordered  that  for  the 
future,  all  Parish  Registers  should  be  kept  in  books 
with  printed  forms,  to  be  provided  by  the  King's 
printers.  Increased  order  and  simplicity  have 
certainly  been  the  consequence  of  this  change, 
but  at  the  cost  of  much  interesting  incidental 
information,  which  the  Parson  of  old  days  was 
in  the  habit  of  inserting  into  his  Parochial  record. 
Many  such  irregular  entries  are  to  be  found  in  the 
Padworth  Registers  and  are  quoted  further  on. 

With  these  few  introductory  remarks  we  will 
pass  to  the  examination  of  these  Registers  in 
particular. 

THE  OLD  REGISTERS  OF  PADWORTH. 

These  are  unfortunately  very  defective,  and  such 
as  have  come  down  to  us  are  not  consecutive, 
but  are  more  or  less  detached  fragments  only. 
It  is  owing  to  the  above-mentioned  rule,  referring 
to  the  entry  in  the  Diocesan  Registry  of  Parish 
Records,  that  some  of  those  of  the  Parish  of 
Padworth,  dating  from  the  beginning  of  the 
XVIIth  Century,  have  been  recovered ;  copies 
having  been  made  of  them  in  the  Salisbury 
Diocesan  Registry  Office.  They  will  always  be 
alluded  to  here  as  the  Sarum  Transcripts. 


76  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

Sarum          The    first   entries    are  for  a  single   year  only, 

Transcripts. 

beginning  November,  1007.  There  is  then  a  gap 
of  seven  years,  after  which  they  go  on  consecu- 
tively from  1614  to  1622,  and  later  with  interrup- 
tions as  marked  1628.  .31.  .34,  35.  .37.  Here  we 
come  to  the  period  of  the  Civil  Wars  and  the 
Commonwealth,  when  all  ecclesiastical  order  was 
upset,  Rectors  were  for  the  most  part  dispossessed, 
and  even  the  Bishops  and  the  Cathedral  Chapters 
abolished.  It  was  not  till  some  years  after  King 
Charles  II.'s  Restoration,  that  the  Parish  Registers 
in  Padworth  appear  to  have  been  resumed.  The 
entries,  still  in  the  Sarum  Transcripts,  begin  April 
igth,  1668,  and  continue  as  follows  : — 1669-71, 
1683-85,  1689-94. 

Here  a  long  gap  occurs  in  the  Diocesan  Records 
which  is  filled  up  in  part  by  some  loose  leaves  from 
an  old  Parish  Register  book,  (the  rest  being  lost) . 
They  consist  of  two  and  a  half  sheets  of  parchment, 
folded  and  loosely  stitched  together,  containing 
in  all  seven  pages  of  Registers,  two  pages  of 
Memoranda,  and  one  blank  page,  and  they  were 
found  inside  a  later  book  to  be  mentioned 
presently.  They  will  be  referred  to  here  as  the 
loose  leaves.  The  entries  they  contain  overlap 
those  in  the  Sarum  Transcripts,  beginning  May 
28th,  1693,  and  going  on  as  follows  : — 1694  to 
1705.  The  Sarum  Transcripts  take  up  the  tale 
on  June  27th,  1707,  when  there  is  a  gap  ;  then 
they  go  on  from  1714  to  December  i3th,  1724. 

The  oldest  Register  Book  (after  the  loose 
leaves)  now  preserved  at  Padworth  gives  the 
record  of  the  years  between  1724  and  1783. 
This  book  contains  42  pages  of  parchment.  The 
last  page  has  been  partly  cut  out,  leaving  four 
baptisms  and  notices  of  two  visitations.  There 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  77 

are  also  two  pages  of  paper  at  the  beginning,  on 
both  of  which  interesting  notes  have  been  made. 
This  will  be  called  the  old  Register.  It  was  in  this 
book  that  the  loose  leaves  dating  from  1693  to 
1705  were  found. 

Lastly,  a  copy  was  made  by  Mr.  Butler,  Rector 
of  Padworth,  in  1882,  from  a  Register  book  which 
was  falling  to  pieces  from  the  effect  of  damp. 
It  is  inscribed  on  the  first  page  : — Padworth 
Registry  Book  for  Christenings  and  Burials.— 
Bought  October  i8th,  1783,  and  it  goes  down 
to  June,  1812.  We  shall  call  it  Mr.  Butler's 
copy. 

To  the  above  account  of  the  Registers  of 
Padworth  it  should  be  added  that  there  was  a 
rumour,  reported  to  the  present  Rector  on  his 
first  coming  to  the  Parish,  by  the  then  Church- 
warden, that  within  recent  times,  probably  be- 
tween 1865  and  1882,  a  Register  Book  had  been 
lost,  having  been  lent  to  someone  out  of  the 
Parish  and  never  returned.  This  rumour  has  not 
been  substantiated. 

To  make  this  confused  record  clearer  to  the 
reader  the  following  dates  are  given  :— 

Sarum  Transcripts         . .          . .       1607-1694. 

Loose  Leaves      .  .          .  .          . .       1693-1705. 

Sarum  Transcripts         . .          . .       1707-1724. 

The  old  Register  . .          . .       1724-1783. 

Mr.  Butler's  Copy          . .          . .       1783-1812. 

Printed  Register  Books  from  .  .       1812,    and 

now  in  use. 

Extracts  are  here  given  from  all  these  Registers, 
recording  any  incidents  which  are  mentioned  as 
occurring  in  the  Parish  ;  and  also  the  first  mention 
of  such  family  names  as  are  of  frequent  recurrence, 


78  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

and  are  still  known  in  the  district — old  families, 
some  of  them,  who  have  lived  on  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, one  generation  after  another,  now  for 
several  Centuries.  The  names  of  the  Rectors  and 
Curates,  and  their  families  will  be  mentioned  as 
they  occur,  and  also  those  of  the  Squire's  family. 
Sarum  In  the  year  1607  Thomas  Grey  was  Rector 

Transcripts 

1607-1694.  and 

James  Little felde  and 
George  Arlat  Churchwardens. 
In  a  Chancery  Bill  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign 
(1595)  a  George  Littlefield  is  mentioned  as  holding 
a    house    and    lands    in    Padworth,    perhaps    the 
brother  of  the  Churchwarden. 

Burial  1615  August  ityth,  1615    Eleanor  Wyes  was  buried. 

signed  by       Edward  Carter]  Church- 
Edward  Sylver]    wardens. 

The  Carter  family  held  considerable  possessions 
in  Beenham. 

Marriage  December  3Oth,  1622    Thomas  Pinnocke  was 

1662.  .    ,  , 

married  to 

Susan  Blackman. 

She   may   have   been   related   to   the   Thomas 
Blackman  whose  benefaction  is  recorded  later  on. 

In  1668      William  Deane  was  Curate. 
This  is  during  the  time  when  there  is  a  gap  in 
the  Diocesan  Register  of  Institutions  to  the  living, 
In    1670    two   benefactions   to  the  Parish  are 
recorded. 

Thomas  Brightwell  of  Padworth  late  deceased 
gave  unto  the  Poore  of  the  sd  Parish  to  be  kept 
as  a  Stock  for  ever  the  Summe  of  Six  Pounds 
of  current  English  money  wh  sd  summe  of 
Six  Pounds  was  accordingly  paid  by  Samuell 
Brightwell  Esq.  Executor  of  the  last  Will  of 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  79 

the  sd  Thomas  Bright-well  unto  John  Mills 
Churchwarden  and  William  George  Overseer 
of  the  Poore  for  the  Year  1670. 

One  Blackman  gave  unto  ye  Parish  of 
Padworth  aforesd  the  Summe  of  Power  Pounds 
of  current  English  money  to  be  kept  as  a  Stock 
for  ye  use  of  ye  Poore  of  the  sd  Parish  for  ever 
wh  sd  Power  Pounds  is  in  ye  Custody  of  ye 

said  John  Mills (illegible). 

This  record  is  given  more  fully  in  another  page 
in  the  Register  (see  page  82). 

It  is  also  recorded  on  the  Gallery  Front  (now 
fixed  on  the  Belfry  Frame)  that  these  two  dona- 
tions were  given,  Thomas  Brightwell's  in  1665, 
and  Thomas  Blackman's  in  1605. 

In  this  year,  1670,  William  Powell  was  Curate. 
Baptism.  William   the   son   of    William   Buckland   was 

baptized  ^oth  June  1672 

\Robert  Butterworth  Curate 

Signed  by ) 

(William  Webb  Churchwarden 

Burials  Elizabeth  the  wife  of  Rob.  Pearce  was  buried 

1675-1676  ,   7      r 

ist  July  1675 

Alary  Lawrence  was  buried  6th  December  1675 

Mary  daughter  of  Samuell  Brightwell  Esq.  and 

Susanna  his  wife  was  buried  29  Nov.  1676. 

In  1677  Robert  King  was  Rector.     This  Rector's 

name  is  not  included  in  the  list  of  the  Institutions 

to  the  living,  kept  in  the  Sarum  Diocesan  Registry, 

but  is  to  be  found  in  the  Sarum  Transcripts. 

Marriage  Thomas  Wickens  and  Anne 

1678. 

Arlet  were  married  loth  Feb.  1678 

Baptism  Raph  ye  son  of  Raph  Fauknr  and 

Margery  his  wife  was  baptd     14^  Oct.    1679 

Burials  Sam.  Brightwell,  Esq.  was  buried  I2th  Oct.  1670 

1679-85. 

{Robert  Dixon  Curate  1680 

Signed  by  4 

(F.  Springall  Curate  1681 


8o  THE  PARISH  REGISTERS. 

Mary  ye  daughter  of  Stephen 
Woolford  and  Mary  his 
wife  was  buried  i^th  Nov.  1685 

signed  by  George  Goodall  Rector 
Susanna  the  daughter  of  Loftus 
Baptism  Brightwell   and   Mary   his 

wife  was  baptized  qth  Aug.  1689 

Burial  1689.          Mrs.  Agnes  Seyers  was  buried    igth  Nov.  1689 
Mrs.  Agnes  Sayers'   donation  to  the  Parish  of 
£3  is  recorded  on  the  Gallery  Front  in  the  Church. 
Baptisms  Mary  the  daughter  of  Loftus 

Brightwell  Esq.  and  Mary 
his  wife  was  baptized  nth  Feb.  1693 

Here  the  Sarum  Transcript  breaks  off  and 
before  taking  up  the  thread  in  the  Loose  Leaves 
of  the  lost  Register  it  may  be  as  well  to  remark 
that,  besides  the  names  mentioned  in  the  above 
extracts,  others  are  constantly  recurring  of  families 
once  known  in  the  neighbourhood,  though  no 
longer  living  at  Padworth  ;  such  as  Wort,  Worten, 
Napper  and  Thickas  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  spelt, 
ffickas,  or  fficas,  ffickes,  and  Portsmouth  or  Porch- 
mouth.  Persons  of  these  names  were  among 
the  land-holders  in  Kingsclere  and  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and,  in  1675,  were  taxed  in  money 
and  in  kind  to  provide  supplies  for  Queen 
Elizabeth's  Royal  table. 0) 

The  double  f  (ff)  in  ffickas  and  ffalconer  is  the 
usual  old  form  of  rendering  the  Capital  F,  some 
Welsh  names  are  still  so  written  in  the  present  day. 
There  were  ffawkners,  or  ffauconers,  in  Hampshire 
as  early  as  1263,  and  in  1552  Richard  ffauconer 
was  settled  at  Hurstbourne  Priors  in  that  County, 
of  which  mention  occurs  in  the  Visitation  of 

(i)  See  "  A  Royal  Purveyance  "  edited  by  Walter  Money,  F.S.A, 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 


8l 


Burials 
1695-1697. 


Baptism 
1700. 


Burials  1701 


Hants  for  that  year.  The  name  is  probably 
derived  from  the  occupation  of  the  keeper  of  the 
Falcons  used  in  hawking. 

Amice  and  Anis  occur  as  Christian  names  for 
girls. 

Another  remark  that  may  be  made  is  about 
the  dates  given.     When,  as  above,  it  is  said  that 
Mary,  daughter  of  Loftus  Brightwell  was  baptized 
on  the  nth  February,   1693,  the  date  intended } 
as   we   now   understand   it,    is    1694.     According 
to  the  old  style  of  reckoning,  the  year  did  not 
begin  till  the  25th  March,   and  the  New  Style, 
as  it  was  called,  by  which  years  were  reckoned 
as  at  present,  was  not  in  use  till  1752.     Dates 
are  sometimes  expressed  thus,    1693-4  ;   that  is, 
for  the  months  before  March  25th. 
Anthony     a     Blackmore 
servant  to  Mr.  Bright- 
well  was  baptized  6th    December  1695 
Will    Sayer    servant    to 
Farmer     Bowell     was 
buried 

James  the  son  of  Mr. 
Thos.  Toolly  and 
Susanna  his  wife  was 
buried 

Jane  the  wife  of  George 
Goodall  Rector  was 
buried 

Samuell  ye  son  of  Loftus 
Brightwell  Esq.  and 
Mary  his  wife  was 
baptized 

Agnes  ye  daughter  of 
Peter  Sherby  a  vaga- 
bond was  buried 


ioth   February   1695 


31  st  May 


nth  May 


1696 


1697 


yth  January     1700 


i6th  April          1701 


82  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

Samuell  ye  son  of  Loftus 
Brightwell  Esq.  and 
Mary  his  wife  was 

buried  ijth  April          1701 

A  nn  ye  daughter  of  Loftus 
Brightwell  Esq.  was 

baptized  qth  February      1703 

Thomas  ye  son  of  Loftus 
Brightwell  Esq.  and 
Mary  his  wife  was 

baptized  gth  March         1705 

The  names  of  Kent  field,  Turner,  and  Brookman 

are  frequent  during  this  period,   and  we  notice 

as  curious  the  names  of  Appledonway,  Stipto,  and 

Guppall.     But    much   must    be    allowed   for   the 

vagaries  in  orthography  of  illiterate  Parish  Clerks. 

On  the  two  last  pages  of  the  Loose  Leaves  there 

are    some    interesting    records.     The    first    is    as 

follows  : — 

Memorandum — That  thomas  Blackman  late  of 
Sulhamstead  Abbot  in  the  County  of  Berks, 
yeoman  deceased,  by  his  last  Will  and  Testa- 
ment, bearing  date  the  2*jth  day  of  April  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  God  1605  among  other  things 
therein  contained,  did  give  and  bequeath  to  the 
Churchwardens  and  Overseers  of  the  Poor  of 
the  Parish  of  Padworth  the  sum  of  four  Pounds 
in  money,  to  the  intent  &  purpose  that  they 
and  their  successors,  Churchwardens  and  Over- 
seers of  the  said  Parish,  with  the  consent 
&  by  the  discretions  of  the  Minister  and  the 
rest  of  the  substantial  Inhabitants  of  the  said 
Parish  for  the  time  being,  shall  use  &  employ 
the  said  sum  of  four  Pounds  as  a  Stock  for 
the  use  of  the  Poor  in  such  sort  that  they  shall 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  83 

not  want  it,  but  keep  the  Stock  on  foot  for  the 
continual  use  &  benefit  of  the  most  poor  & 
needy  People  in  the  same  Parish  for  ever  &  to 
the  intent  that  the  said  Churchwardens  &  Over- 
seers and  their  Successors  shall  yearly  for 
ever  of  the  gains  and  profits  of  the  said  Stock 
upon  the  day  of  the  Feast  of  St  Thomas  the 
Apostle  in  every  year  disburse  and  give  six 
shillings  &  eightpence  in  money  to  &  amongst 
four  or  more  of  the  most  poor  and  needy  People 
of  the  said  Parish,  for  the  time  being  towards 
their  relief  &  comfort  for  ever,  as  in  and  by 
the  same  his  last  Will  &  Testament  it  doth 
appear.  And  that  now  the  said  sum  of  four 
Pounds  this  present  day,  being  the  zoth  day 
of  June  1605  was  truly  paid  &  by  us  received 
according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of 
the  said  last  Will  &  Testament  to  be  used  & 
employed  to  the  use  aforesaid  according  to 
the  trust  reposed  in  us. 

Wm.  Griff yn  Rector 

Edward  Arlett        Churchwardens 
John  Miller 

Andrew  White        Overseers 
Edward  Silver        of  the  Poor. 
This  entry  is  copied  into  a  later  Register  Book 
by  John  Davies,   Rector,   where  it  can  now  be 
read. 

There  was  a  Thomas  Blackman  buried  at 
Sulhamstead  in  1605,  and  described  in  the  Register 
of  that  Parish  as  of  West  End,  Tilehurst,  who, 
from  the  date  of  his  death,  would  appear  to  be 
the  same  as  the  Benefactor  of  Padworth. 

The  second  memorandum  on  one  of  the  pages 
of  the  Loose  Leaves  is  as  follows  (the  surface  of 


84  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

the    Parchment    has   been    so    destroyed   on   one 
side  that  some  words  are  illegible)  :— 

A    Terrier    of    the    Gleab    lands,    meadows, 

garden,    orchard, house    and    tythes 

belonging    unto    the    Parsonage    of    Padworth 
made    by   the    Parson    &    the    churchwardens, 
sidesmen  &  overseers  of  the  Poore  of  the  Parish 
the  first  day   of  September   162(4?) 
Inprimis  the  Parsonage  house  a  barne   .... 

stable  a  garden  &  an  orchard 
It.     one  ground  adjoining  to  the  barne  called 

the  Parsonage  field  containing  by  estimation 

twelve  acres 
It.     one   Piddle    adjoining   to   the   Parsonage 

house 
It.     one  other  piddle  of  ground  lying  within 

John    ffickas    his    land   accounted    one    acre 
It.     a    Coppice   lying   within   the   said   John 

ffickas    his   land   by   estimation   three    acres 
It.     seaven   acres    &   an   half   of   arable   land 

lying  in  the  common-field  of  Padworth 
It.     a  dubble  but  of  meadow  lying  in 

called  Townay  &  an  acre  of  meadow  &  a 

little    narrow    string    of    meadow 

called  the Sovathes   lying  in  the 

East  mead  of  (Padworth) 
It.     one  acre  of  ground  lying  in  a  close    .... 

belonging  to  a  far  me  called 

(of)  Padworth  which  acre  the  Parson  (may) 

sow  when  that  field  is  sown 

other  profitt  but  the  cropp 

It.     half  an  acre  of  ground  lying  in 

holding    in    the of    John    ffickas 

the    Parson    is    to   have  not    other   (profitt) 

the   Cropp of   the  former 

(incumbent) 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  85 

It.  all  the  tythe  corne,  hay  and  other  accus- 
tomed   of  Padworth  part  whereof 

is  the  tythe  of land  belonging 

unto  foure  tenements  lying  in  Beeneham 
the  tyth  of  a  meadow  called  Maynards 
land  lying  (in)  the  west  mead  and  Comon 

field  of  Padworth to  tenements 

lying  in  Beeneham  the  tyth  of  foure  acres 

of  meadow  lying  in Belonging 

to  ....  a  farme  lying Stand- 
ford  Parish  &  the  tyth  of  a  part 

meadow  called  ffarth  buts  lying  in  the  said 

meadow  but  belonging  to in  the 

Parish  of  Englefield 

Thomas  Grey 

John  ffickes  his  mark 


TT7  ;,  ±11-    (Churchwardens 

Walter     Portsmouth    his 

mark 

George  Littlefield 
Richard       Worte       ye 


elder  his  mark 


Sidesmen 


Edmond     Worting    his 

mark 

William  Angle — Overseer  of  the  Poor. 
It  will  be  noticed  that,  besides  the  Church- 
wardens and  the  Overseer  of  the  Poor,  the  docu- 
ment is  signed  by  three  Sidesmen.  The  office 
of  Sidesmen,  or  Synodsmen  as  they  should  properly 
be  called,  is  very  ancient.  They  were  so  named 
from  the  fact  that  they  had  to  attend  the  diocesan 
Synod,  where  they  were  expected  to  report  to 
the  Bishop  on  the  spiritual  condition  of  their 
Parish,  and  at  home  it  was  their  duty  to  see 
that  all  parishioners  duly  resort  to  their  church  on 
all  Sundays  and  Holidays  and  there  continue  the 


86  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

whole  time  of  Divine  Service  ;  and  none  to  walk 
or  stand  idle  or  talking  in  the  Church  or  Churchyard 
during  that  time.  So  it  is  ordered  by  the  Canons 
Ecclesiastical.  They  were  also  called  Questmen 
because  they  had  to  make  enquiries  concerning 
the  conduct  of  the  Parish.  In  fact  they  were 
assistants  or  deputies  under  the  Churchwardens. 
At  first  they  seem  to  have  been  appointed  by 
the  Bishop,  but  latterly  to  have  been  elected 
yearly  by  the  Parishioners  at  Easter  time,  and 
in  modern  times  the  office  has  much  fallen  into 
disuse  in  country  parishes. 

The  allusion  in  the  above  description  of  the 
Glebe  lands  to  the  Common  Fields  of  Padworth 
will  scarcely  be  understood  by  the  present  genera- 
tion ;  yet  it  was  not  till  the  year  1811  that  the 
flat  lands  in  the  valley  of  the  river  Kennet,  which 
had  up  to  that  time  been  known  as  the  Common 
Fields  were  enclosed.  A  further  account  of 
these  fields  is  given  in  Chapter  V.,  which 
relates  to  the  History  of  the  Parish. 

To  return  to  the  Register  :— 

In  1707  the  Sarum  Transcript  goes  on  again. 
In    that    year    William    Innes    was    Curate. 
Burial  1707.          Mr.  George  Goodall  Rector 

was   buried  Dec.  2$rd        1707 

Baptisms  Jane     the     Daughter     of 

1716  19. 

Matthew       May       was 

baptized  Nov.  jth        1716 

This  Matthew  May  acted  for  many  years  as 
Parish  Clerk  and  signed  his  name  to  the  Parish 
accounts. 

In  1717  Lancelot  Carleton  was  Rector 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 


87 


Burial 
1718-19. 


Baptisms 

1720. 


Burial  1721. 


Susanna  the  daughter  of 
Lancelot     Carleton     & 
Barbara  his  wife  was 
baptized 

Thomas  the  son  of  Lance- 
lot Carleton  &  Barbara 
his  wife  was  baptized 

Thomas  the  son  of  Lance- 
lot Carleton  &  Barbara 
his  wife  was  buried 

Lancelot  the  son  of  Lance- 
lot Carleton  Clerk  & 
Barbara  his  wife  was 
baptized 

Mary  the  daughter  of 
George  Monger  &  Jane 
his  wife  was  baptized 

Thomas  the  son  of  Loftus 
Brightwell  Esq.  &  Mary 
his     wife     was     buried 
within  the  Church 
(leave    of    burial    there 


Nov.  7 


I7I7 


Feb.  2         1718-19 


Feb.  3         1718-19 


i6th  Aug.        1720 


I2th    March    1720 


^oth  June        1721 
being    first    had    & 


Baptisms 

1722-1723. 


obtained    from    the    Rector    of    the    Parish 
Affidavit  brought) 

This  young  man,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
appears  to  have  been  of  great  promise,  according 
to  the  memorial  erected  by  his  sister  in  the 
Church.  See  page  61.  He  was  the  last  male 
•heir  of  his  name. 

Cecilia  the  daughter  of 
Lancelot  Carleton  Clerk 
&  Barbara  his  wife 

was  baptized  ^th  Oct.  1722 

John  the  son  of  Robert 
Giles  &  Amy  his  wife 
was  baptized  26th  March  1723 


88  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

Alexander  the  son  of 
Lancelot  Carleton  Clerke 
&  Barbara  his  wife 
was  baptized  Nov.  1723 

Burial  1723.  john  Sylvester  was  buried 

Affidavit  of  being  buried 
in  woollen  brought  Oct.  6th  1723 

The  next  and  following  entries  are  taken 
from  a  Register  Book,  said  on  its  first  page  to 
have  been  begun  by  the  Rev.  Lancelot  Carleton 
in  the  year  1724. 

On  the  same  page  there  is  given  a  Form  of 
Affidavit  for  burying  in  Woollen.  It  is  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  A.B.  maketh  oath  that  the  body  of  C.D. 
"  late  of  •  -  was  wrapt  up   &  buried  in 

1  Woollen    only,     according    to    the    Statute  : 
"  Sworn  this  -  -  day  of  -  -  such 

"a   year    before    me  A.B.    Rector., 

"  Vicar  or  Curate  of  - 

This  has  reference  to  the  Act  of  Parliament 
already  mentioned  on  page  73. 
The  Register  begins  thus  :— 

The    Register    of    the    Parish    of   Padworth 
Anno  Domini  1724. 

Christenings 

At  this  time  the  word  was  often  substituted 
for    Baptisms,    although    there    is    no    authority 
for  its  use  in  the  Prayer  Book. 
John    the    son    of    John 
Belcher  &  Elizabeth  his 
wife  was  baptized  ^rd  Sept.          1724 

Hannah  daughter  of 
John  Wheeler  &  Mary 
his  wife  was  baptized  6th  Dec.  1724 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  89 

This  year's  entries  are  signed  Lancelot  Carleton 
Rector 

These  Churchwardens  his 

were    elected    according     John     1     Neale 
to  Canon.  mark 

his 
Vincent    O    Webb 

mark 

Churchwardens 
Christopher  the  son  of 
Lancelot  Carleton  Clerk 
Rector  of  Padworth  & 
Barbara  his  wife  was 
born  ist  Oct.  1725 

&  baptized  the  igth  of  the  said  month 
Thomas  the  son  of  John 
Benny     &    Sarah    his 
wife,      travellers,      was 
baptized  zist  Feb.          172$ 

George  the  son  of  George 
Englefield   &  Elizabeth 
his  wife  was  baptized         6th    March     1730 
Francis  Daintry  the  son 
of     Daniel     &     Sarah 
Daintry  was  Baptized         2jth  Oct.          1741 
James  the  son  of  Robert 
Monger    &    Sarah    his 
wife  was  baptized  2Oth  Dec.         1741 

An  entry  written  on  the  fly-leaf  of  this  Book 
informs  us  that  : — This  book  was  chiefly  kept  by 
Matt.  May  then  Parish  Clerk  from  February 
1744  to  October  1778. 

Matthew  son  of  Matt.  May 
parish  Clerk  &  Mary 
his  wife  was  baptized  26th  May  *745 


90  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

Giles  son  of  John  Burgess 

&    Elizabeth    his    wife 

was  baptized  i/[th  Sept.        1750 

Jonathan  son  of  Richard 

Tull  &  Anne  his  wife 

was  baptized  ^rd  Feb.          1750 

John     son     of     Thomas 

Stroud  &  Jane  his  wife 

was  baptized  nth  Nov.        1751 

Here  the  Julian  account  or  old  Style  endeth 

and    the    new    takes    place    Sept.    the    i^th 

"  1752." 

This  refers  to  the  change  in  the  way  of  reckoning 
the  year,  from  the  Old  Style  when  the  year  began 
on  the  25th  of  March,  to  the  present  way,  or 
New  Style,  of  beginning  on  January  ist. 

Memorandum  That  on  the  <\th  day  of 
June  1753  The  Rev.  John  Clark  Rector  of 
Padworth  agreed  with  the  Rev.  George  Wil- 
kinson L.L.B.  to  supply  the  Cure  of  Padworth 
at  50^  pr  Ann.  for  one  year  certain  <§•  so  long 
after  as  the  sd.  George  Wilkinson  shall  think 
proper  to  perform  the  office  of  a  curate  in 
the  parish  of  Padworth,  to  be  paid  at  4  equal 
Quarterly  Paymts  upon  a  Draught  made  upon 
Mr.  Thomas  May  &  Mr.  John  Belcher. 
John  son  of  Moses  and 

Mary    Lewington    was 

baptized  2/[th  Aug.        1753 

Friday  May  ist  1754  was  the  Visitation  held 

at  St  Mary's  Church  Reading  by  Mr  Arch- 
deacon Spry. 

Burials  Christopher    the    son    of 

1726-1783. 

Lancelot     Carleton     & 

Barbara   his   wife   was 

buried  iqth  May        1726 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 


91 


Affidavit  brought  within  8  days  &c. 
Martha  Dicker  was  buried     ^rd  Dec. 

Affidavit  brought  within  8  days  &c. 
Lancelot      Carleton      was 

buried  i^th  Oct. 

Affidavit  brought  within  8  days  &c. 
Anne       Englefield       was 

buried  zqth  Sept. 

Affidavit  brought  within  8  days  &c. 
Loftus     Brightwell     Esq. 

was  buried 

Mrs.    Susannah    Bright- 
well  daughter  of  Loftus 

Brightwell     Esq.      was 

buried 
Anne   Chicheley  daughter 

of     Loftus     Brightwell 

Esq.  was  buried     Affi- 
davit 
Mrs.    Ann    Griffith    was 

buried       Affidavit       8 

days 

Ann  Tigal  was  buried 
Mrs.    Elizabeth    daughter 

of     Loftus     Brightwell 

Esq.   was   buried  being 

the   last   person   of  the 

family  of  that  name 
William     Hawkins     was 

buried 
Christopher   Griffith   Esq. 

was  buried 
The  Reverend  Mr.  John 

Clarke  was  buried 


1728 


1730 


1732 


22nd  April     1738 


March    1739 


izth  Sept.       1740 


2jth    March 
3ist  May 


2gth  Jan. 
iSth  June 


1758 
1764 


1765 
1767 


237 d  Jany       1775 


i6th  Aug.       1777 


Q2  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

Note    on    page    i.  —  The    Rev.    John    Davies 
was  inducted  into  the  Rectory  of  Padworth 
by   the   Rev.    Wm.    Wainhome   the    nth   of 
October   1777.     P.S.   Curate  of    Ufton. 
Sarah  Boyles  aged  8  years 
daughter      of      Wittm. 
Boyles   of  Aldermaston 
Apothecary  was  buried     Dec.  I2th        1781 
It  was  this  Mr.  William  Boyles,   or  Byles,   of 
whom  Mr.  Congreve  wrote  in  1838  that  he  had 
told   him  —  Mr.    Congreve  —  of   a   visit   which   the 
Pretender   Charles   Edward   had   paid   to   Ufton 
Court  ;  not,  as  he  explained,  in  1745,  but  some 
years  later. 

Mary  Trencher  (of  the 
Wharf]  a  widow  was 
buried  August  26th  1783 

Elizabeth   Holloway  aged 

88  years  was  buried        Sept.  gth         1783 

On  the  next  page  (28)  is  entered  the  Copy  of 

the    memorandum    concerning    the    bequest    of 

Thomas  Blackman  already  mentioned  (see  page 


Marriages  William     Blackman      of 

Tilehurst  and  Elizabeth 


Dore  of  the  same  Parish 
(the  Banns  being  first 
duly  published,  were 
married  in  Padworth 
Church  i6th  Feb.  1731-32 

John  Maskal  and  Anne 
Hains  both  of  this  parish 
were  married  by  banns  i6th  Dec.  *745 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  93 

Paul  Sherwood  of  Wan- 
tage  in  the   County   of 

Berks  Batchr  &  Martha 

King  of  the  said  place 

-  Spinster     pr.     License 

were  married  2$th  Feb.         *754 

Baptisms  Christopher  son  of  Chris- 

1757-1783.  topher  Griffith  Esq.  and 

Ann  his  wife  was  bap- 
tized Feb.  jth  1757 
Thomas  son  of  a  travelling 

woman  the  reputed  wife 

of  a   soldier  was   bap- 
tized Oct.  22nd         1763 
Daniel     son     of     Daniel 

Brunsdon  and  Ann  his 

wife  was  baptized  Sept.  2^rd       1764 

*William    son     of     Thos. 

Hawkins  &  Mary  his 

wife  was  baptized  May  2Oth        1766 

Elizabeth      daughter      of 

John  Champion  of  Uf- 

ton   &   Mary  his   wife 

was  baptized  July  6th          1766 

*  Abraham  son  of  Richard 

Tull  and  Ann  his  wife 

was  baptized  Sept.  2Oth       1767 

*  A  note  is  inserted  on  page  12  of  the  Register 
Book  referring  to  these  two  boys.  It  is  as  fol- 
lows :— 

Abraham  Tull  aged  19  and  upwards  & 
William  Hawkins  aged  about  17  years  were 
hung  in  chains  on  Mortimer  Common  for 
the  bloody,  wilful  &  inhuman  murder  of 
William  Billimore  of  Ufton, 


94  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

A  full  account  of  this  incident  is  given  later 
on  page  184. 

On   the   fly-leaf  of  the   book   is   the   following 
entry  :— 

May  2$th  1779  John  Davies  Rector  of 
Padworth  with  the  principal  farmer  (Ralph 
Faulkner]  &  several  other  persons  of  the 
Parish  aforesaid  made  a  Procession  around 
the  same  &  at  various  places  many  things 
were  done  to  impress  the  memorial  of  it  on 
the  minds  of  young  boys. 

This,  no  doubt,  refers  to  what  is  called  'beating 
the  bounds  of  the  Parish,'  when  it  is  said  that 
boys   were   flogged   at   various   points   to   insure 
their  remembering  the  boundaries. 
Catherine  daughter  of  the 
Rev.    John    Davies    & 
Ann  his  wife  was  bap- 
tized March    i^th    1780 
Then  three-quarters  of  the  last  page  is  cut  out 
and  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  are  these  three 
last  entries  :— 

George  son  of  James   & 
Mary  Weston  was  bap- 
tized June  2$rd       1782 
James  son  of  William  and 
Ann      Cummins     was 
privately  baptized  Aug.  ^rd         1782 
August    2jth    1782     Visitation    held    for    the 
Churchwardens  &  Surrogates  only  by  order 
of  the  Archdeacon  of  Berks. 
The   curious  names   occurring  in   this  Section 
are  Sessions,  Trueblood  and  Coppythut  (the  name 
Copperthwaite  is  still  well  known). 


THE    PARISH    REGIS1ERS. 


95 


Burials  1783 


1783 


Baptisms 

1784-1785. 


Burial  1785. 


We   now   come   to   Mr.    Butler's   copy   from   a 
Register  Book  injured  by  damp.     It  covers  the 
time  between   1783   and   1812   inclusive. 
The  first  entry  is  as  follows  :— 
George  son  of  Thomas  <§• 
Martha  North  was  bap- 
tized Nov.  gth          1783 

Reed  3  pence  for  the  duty  on  births  being 
the  ist  paid  in. 

Abraham  Arlett  was  buried    Oct.  z^th         1783 
Reed    3    pence    for    the    duty    on    burials 
which  took   place  the   2nd  of  the  month. 
A  receipt  for  the  duties  here  first  mentioned 
is  now  added  to  any  entry  of  baptism  or  burial. 
Richard   Daniels   the    old 

blind  man   was   buried     Nov.  2nd 
A  pauper      Affidavit  made  next  day. 
Archdeacon  Dodwell  held 
his    visitation    for    the 
Deanery  of  Reading  at 
the  Church  of  St  Mary 
in  that  town 

William  son  of  Thomas 
&  Elizabeth  Hawkins 
was  baptized 
The  duty  on  Marriages  Births  Deaths  & 
Burials  was  paid  up  to  the  $h  Dec.  1784. 
(Pd.  in  about  3/4). 

A  similar  entry  is  made  of  the  amount  received 
from  the  duty  every  year. 
Thomas   son   of   William 
&      Elizabeth      Herne 
was  baptized  Sept.  nth       1785 

John  Stroud  (of  the  Mill) 

was  buried  Feb.  2jth         1785 


June  2nd        1784 


Feb.  8th 


1784 


C)6  tHE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

A  curious  letter  is  extant  from  the  brother 
of  this  Stroud  to  their  sister,  who  was  with  her 
Mistress,  Mrs.  Griffith,  at  Bath,  at  that  time  a 
place  of  resort  for  fashionable  ladies.  The  letter 
gives  an  account  of  his  brother's  death,  and 
also  quotes  the  lines  he  had  composed  for  his 
tombstone.  They  are  as  follows  :— 

/   was   young   &   in  my  prime  thought  none 

of  my  faults  to  be  a  crime 
But  now  hear  I  lyes  wrap  up  in  clay 
To  give  a  count  at  the  judgement  day 
But  I  hope  that  Christ  will  have  mercy  on  us 

all 

And  take   to  him  my    poore  dear  soole 
On  page  4  is  the  following  entry  :— 

May  6th  1786.  By  the  particular  desire 
of  Dr.  Onslow  Canon  of  Christ  church  & 
Archdeacon  of  Berks,  at  his  primary  visitation 
of  parochial  Churches,  the  following  memoran- 
dum is  inserted  into  this  Book 

That   no    Graves   shall   be   dug   within    a 
yard    of    the    Foundation    of    the    Church. 
Baptisms  Fanny  daughter  of  Richard 

&  Charlotte  Allen  was 

baptized  Oct.  22nd        1787 

Thomas  son  of  Elisha  & 
Sarah  Lovelock  was 
baptized  June  22nd  1788 

Here  follows  an  entry  referring  to  the  death 
of  Mr.  Francis  Prior  of  Ufton  which  has  been 
already  given  on  page  29.  He  had  acted  as 
Overseer  for  the  Poor  of  the  Parish  of  Padworth, 
and  his  name  is  recorded  as  such  on  the  Gallery 
front  in  the  Church. 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS*  9? 

Thomas  son  of  Richard  & 
Sarah      Baldwin      was 
born  Jan.  2jth  &  bap- 
tized Feb.  zSth     1790 
Martha  daughter  of  Mary 
Edwards  of  the  Wharf 
was  baptized  Sept.  igth       1790 
Burials             The    Rev.    John    Davies 

I 7QO-I  ~Q2, 

Rector  of  the  Parish  of 
Padworth  died  January 
ijth    and    was    buried     Jan.  22nd  1790 
aged  63. 

His  brother  was  rector  of  Newbury. 
Matthew  May  (the  clerk) 

was  buried  March  22nd  1792 

On  page  4  of  this  Register  is  given  the  first 
Census  of  the  Population  of  Padworth,  taken 
in  1801  ;  it  is  quoted  in  full  in  the  Chapter  relating 
to  the  History  of  the  Parish,  page  150.  Padworth 
then  contained  220  souls. 
Baptism  Susanna  Daughter  of 

George  Cotterell  & 
Elizabeth  his  wife  was 
baptized  March  loth  1801 

Burial  1801.          Mrs.     Catherine     Griffith 

was  buried  Sept.  igth       1801 

Baptism  ,.  ,  7 

1803.  Mary   Daughter   of  John 

6-      Francis      Megroh 

privately  bapd  Aug.  ijth        1803 

This  family  name  appears  very  often  and 
very  variously  spelt.  "  Mc.Grath  "  is  probably 
its  normal  form. 

Henry  son  of  William  &  Ann  Sympspn 
adm.  Dec.  4  1803  the  child  was,  as  the 
father  informed  me  privately  baptized  at 


QO  THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 

Kingston  Blunt  in  the  parish  of  Aston 
Row  ant  in  the  County  of  Oxford  Dec.  i6th 
1800. 

Burials  John          HawklHS          (was 

buried)  March    i8th    1804 

He  lost  his  life  by  a  fall  from  a  horse. 
A  letter  relating  to  this  accident  is  preserved 
in    the    British    Museum    (Add.    Mss.    28.670.1). 
It  is  as  follows  :— 

Padworth  House 

Monday  igth  March  1804 
Sir 

I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  John  Hawkins 
a  parishioner   of   Padworth  has   met    an  un- 
timely end,  having  been  thrown  from  a  horse 
this  evening.     He  now  lies  dead  at  my  house. 
I  am  Sir 

Your  Obed.  Ser. 

Robert  Clerk. 

It  will  be  observed  that  there  is  a  discrepancy 
in  the  dates  given.  If  the  accident  happened 
on  the  igth  March  the  man  could  not  have  been 
buried  on  the  i8th.  The  superscription  of  the 
letter  is  not  visible,  but  it  was  probably  ad- 
dressed to  the  Rector,  at  the  time  Dr.  Hemus, 
who  may  have  been  absent  from  home.  Robert 
Clerk  writes  of  Padworth  House  as  his  house. 
At  the  time  the  property  had  recently  been 
inherited  by  General  Matthew  Chitty  Darby 
Griffith,  to  whom  it  had  been  bequeathed  by 
his  aunt,  Mrs.  Catherine  Griffith,  who  had  died 
in  1801  ;  but  the  house  may  very  possibly  have 
been  let,  especially  as  the  gallant  general  may 
have  been  at  the  time  commanding  his  regiment, 
the  Grenadier  Guards,  in  the  Peninsular  under 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  99 

Wellington.     Mr.  Clerk's  daughter  "Fanny"  was 
baptized  at  Padworth  May  4th,  1808. 
Mrs.   Rachel  Green    (was 

buried]  Aug.  2jth        1809 

This  lady's  grave  was  found  below  the  chancel 
step. 

Francis      Byles      Alder  - 

maston  (was  buried)  June  jth         1810 

A nn  Bearfoot  (was  buried)     Sept.  I2th       1810 
Elizabeth  Webb  (was 

buried)  April  ijth      1812 

Mathew  Wise  (was  buried)    June  2&th       1812 
On  the  opposite  page  is  written  :— 

Elizabeth  Webb  died  suddenly  in  the  Parsonage 

Close. 
Matthew   Wise  was  found  dead  on  Mortimer 

Common. 

The  copied  Register  ends   (page  24)  with  this 
entry  by  Mr.  Butler. 

I  have  carefully  copied  the  above  entries 
of  Burials  from  page  17  to  24  in  this  book 
from  the  same  old  Register  Book  now  perishing 
from  a  former  exposure  to  damp,  as  I  copied 
the  previous  entries  of  Baptisms.  The  Burials 
having  been  entered  at  the  end  of  that  book 
inverted  &  the  Baptisms  at  the  beginning. 
Pad.worth^  Rectory  i^th  Oct.  1882. 

(Signed)    W.   Butler  ex-Rector  resigned. 
For   the  convenience  of  the   reader  the  dates 
from    the  different    Records   have  been  given   in 
marginal  notes. 

The  curious  names  to  be  noted  in  this  book 
are  Petty  ford,   Pascoe,   Suff  and  Skuffel. 

And   here   these   extracts   will   cease.     Besides 
being  too  recent  the  later  registers  are  entered 


100        THE    PARISH    REGISTERS    AND    BOOKS. 

on   ruled   forms   not   admitting   of   any   remarks 

and  do  not  therefore  possess  much  local  interest. 

One   other   marriage    seems  worthy   of   record 

from  the  Reading  Mercury  of  Mon.,  Jan.  8,  1787. 

Thursday  last  was  married  at  Padworth  Mr. 

John   Rogers   (farmer)   of   that  place  to   Miss 

Mary   Wetts  of  Aldermaston,  a  person  whose 

sweetness   of    temper   and   disposition,    joined 

with   her   engaging    manner   and   good   sense, 

cannot   fail   rendering  the  married  state  com- 

pleatly  happy. 

The  Baptisms  of  two  of  their  children  Hannah 
and  Mary  are  in  the  Padworth  Register,  Sept. 
1788  and  1799. 

But  before  leaving  the  subject  of  Parish  books 
we  may  notice  some  few  of  the  entries  in  the 
Churchwardens'  book  of  accounts.  The  earliest 
date  from  which  these  have  been  preserved  is 
April,  1828. 

On  the   26th  June,    1830,    there   is   the   charge 
To  Tooling  the  Nell  for  Late  King     .  .        2/6 
Aug.  2ist  1832.     To  the  King's  Birth- 
day               5/0 

Sept.  8th  1832.     To  the  King's  Cor  on 

Nation  Day    . .          . .          . .          . .        5/0 

Up  to  1833  they  are  signed  by  William  Balding 
Churchwarden,   and  later  by   Wm.   Evans. 
Again,  on 

5th  March  1838.     To   Toling  the  Bell 

for  late  King  . .          . .          . .        2/6 

2^th  May  1839.     To  Ringing  Queen  s 

Birthday          . .          . .          . .          . .        5/0 

28th  June  1838.     For  Her  most  Gracious 

Majesty's  Coronation  , .          . .        5/0 


THE    PARISH    BOOKS. 


101 


On  the  I2th  April  1842.     To  Map  of  the 

Parish  ..          ; 6/8 

And    i^th    Jan.    1843.     To    Map    of 

Parish  Second  time   . .          . .          . .        6/8 

Nothing  is  known  now  of  these  maps. 
In  the  same  book  is  a  copy  of  an  old  list  (1754) 
of    the    Rails    enclosing    the    Churchyard,    which 
were  supported  by  various  owners  and  occupiers 
of  land,  in  all  38  Pannells  at  that  time. 

There  are  also  several  notes  of  agreement 
for  Letting  the  Poor's  Land  for  the  years  1836, 
1843  and  1851. 


Fragments  of  low  window. 


NOTE.— The    record    of   another    marriage    of   local    interest    was 
found  since  the  above  was  written. 
"Reading  Mercury,"  Monday,  January  ist,   1787. 

On  Thursday  last  was  married  Mr.  Ralph  Faulkner,  an  eminent 
farmer,  of  Padworth,  at  Padworth,  to  Mrs.  Hannah  Spencer  of  the  same 
place,  an  agreeable  lady,  with  every  requisite  to  make  the  marriage  happy. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  LANDOWNERS  AND  LORDS  OF  THE 
MANORS   OF   PAD  WORTH. 

THE  GRANT  TO  ABINGDON  ABBEY. 

In  an  old  illuminated  manuscript  book  preserved 
in  the  British  Museum  —  a  record  kept,  in  days 
before  the  Reformation,  by  the  Benedictine  Monks 
of  Abingdon  of  grants  of  land  with  which  their 
Abbey  had  been  endowed  —  there  is,  written  in 
mediaeval  Latin  and  old  Saxon  mixed,  a  passage 
of  which  the  following  is  a  translation  :— 
Cotton  Mss.  "  How  Edwy  the  KinS 


Claud  B.  VI.  Peadenwurthe  to  Eadric 

Fol.  57. 

Item  :  the  same  King  Edwy  gave  Peadanwurthe  to  Eadric  ; 

and  he,  by  the  consent  of  the  King,  gave  it  to  God  and  the 
Blessed  Mary  and  to  the  House  of  Abingdon  and  the  monks 
there  serving  God  in  jrankalmoin  ;  and  this  is  the  charter 
of  the  King  confirming  the  gift  : 

Charter  of  King  Edwy  concerning 
Pedcenwurthe 

May  Christ  reign  forever.  For  what  is  better  in  this 
life  than  to  purchase  those  things  which  are  heavenly  and 
enduring  by  such  as  are  earthly  and  fading  ?  For  all  that 
is  seen  temporally  disappears,  but  that  which  is  not  seen 
will  endure  without  ceasing. 

Wherefore  I,  Edwy,  King  of  the  English  and  Governor 
and  Ruler  of  the  whole  land  of  Britain,  do  grant  to  a  man 
of  mine,  called  by  the  name  of  Eadric,  for  ever  a  small 
portion  of  land,  that  is  five  hides,  in  the  place  called  commonly 
at  Peadanwurthe.  From  henceforth  let  him  use  our  gift 
to  himself  with  safety  during  his  life,  and  dying,  let  him 
bestow  it  upon  whomsoever  he  will  in  perpetual  gift,  with 
the  fields,  pastures,  meadows  and  woods.  This  land  shall 
be  quit  of  all  service,  except  contributions  to  bridges  and 
fortresses  and  military  service.  But  should  anyone  diminish 


ABINGDON    CHARTERS.  IO3 

this  gift,  let  him  know  that  he  will  be  guilty  every  hour  of 
his  life  and  that  he  will  not  escape  the  Darkness  of  Hell — 
This  land  is  surrounded 

by  these  boundaries. 

These  are  the  land  boundaries  of  Peadanwyrthe. 
First,  from  Elfled's  boundary  northward  to  the  hedge 
along  the  hedge  to  a  stand,  then  to  the  ditch,  thence  to  the 
river,  along  the  river  to  the  mill-leaf,  then  along  the  mill- 
ditch  back  to  the  river  ;  along  the  river  as  far  as  the  bridge 
and  the  mill-stead  and  the  land  on  the  north  of  the  stream 
which  belongs  thereto,  and  the  o&enfolds  and  the  meadow 
on  the  town  (!)  island  which  rightly  pertains  thereto  ; 
and  the  eastern  boundary  as  the  hedge  goes  again  to  Elfted's 
boundary,  and  the  swine-pastures  and  the  meadows  by 
the  north  of  the  river  and  the  water  meadows  which  rightly 
pertain  thereto. 

This  charter  was  written  in  the  year  of 
the  incarnation  of  our  Lord  956,  and  in  the 

14th  indiction. 

I,  Edwy,  King  of  the  English,  have  granted  unalterably. 
I,  Edgar,  brother  of  the  said  King,  have  consented. 
I,  Odo,  the  Archbishop  have  confirmed  it  with  the  sign  of 

the  Holy  Cross" 

ciaud  B.  vi.  Later  on,  in  the  same  book  of  Charters,  there 
is  a  Confirmation  of  this  grant  by  King  Edwy 
to  the  Abbey  of  Abingdon  by  King  Edward  the 
Confessor  (1042-1066)  of  the  lands  which  Ederec 
the  countryman  formerly  held  near  the  river  which 
is  called  Cynete  (Kennet}. 

Museum.        ^n  another  Ms  book — the  History  of  the  Monks 

Jup^G0VII<  of  Abingdon — we  find,  in  explanation  concerning 

this  Eadric,  that  he  was  one  of  the  chief est  men 

in  the  household  of  King  Athelred,  and  that  he 

obtained  the  Abbacie  for  his  brother  Edwin. 

The  first  thing  to  notice  in  these  very  curious 
documents  is  the  name  of  the  place  in  question. 
A  considerable  variety  of  spelling  is  always  to  be 

(i)   Towney  meadow  ? 


104  ABINGDON    CHARTERS. 

met  with  in  ancient  records,  and  accordingly, 
even  in  later  times,  we  find  the  name  now  known 
as  Padworth  written  sometimes  Paddewurthe 
or  Paddesworth  or  Padewerth  ;  and  though  it 
is  true  that  in  Domesday  Book  it  appears  as 
Peteorde,  yet  if  we  remember  that  there  is  no 
letter  W  in  Latin  and  that  d  is  the  probable 
equivalent  of  th,  we  shall  find  a  suificient  similarity 
between  all  these  names  and  that  in  the  Saxon 
deed,  as  quoted  above,  to  justify  the  conclusion 
that  the  place  is  the  same. 

The  mention  of  the  river  called  Cynete  (Kennet) 
is  a  strong  confirmation  of  this  opinion,  the  C 
being  sounded  hard  as  in  Cymri.  As  to  the  significa- 
tion of  the  name  Padworth,  there  have  been 
different  explanations.  A  very  high  authority  (Mr. 
W.  H.  Stevenson)  has  explained  it  as  meaning 
the  village  of  a  man  named  Peada  ;  others  have 
thought  that  a  reference  to  the  Anglo-Saxon 
words  Paad  or  Pad,  meaning  a  road,  and  w  earthing, 
meaning  an  enclosure  or  settlement,  suggests 
another  interpretation.  The  Roman  Road  from 
Calleva  (Silchester)  to  Speen  must  have  passed 
very  near  the  Western  limits  of  the  Parish,  a 
track  which,  though  no  doubt  often  impassable 
owing  to  the  swamps  of  the  river  Kennet,  was 
certainly  of  very  ancient  use.  Padworth,  was 
therefore,  well  placed  near  two  great  highways 
of  the  country  towards  the  West  and  may  well 
have  received  the  name  of  the  settlement  by  the 
road  or,  in  modern  parlance,  the  wayside  village. 

Abingdon  Abbey  was  the  second  Benedictine 
House  established  in  England,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  founded  in  675  by  Cissa,  Viceroy  of 
Centwin  and  King  of  Wessex. 


ABINGDON    CHARTERS.  IO5 

Edwy  (written  Eadwig  by  Freeman)  the  King, 
by  whom  the  grant  was  made,  was  a  weak  young 
monarch  whose  short  reign  was  chiefly  important 
on  account  of  the  enroaching  tyranny  of  the 
Church  as  represented  by  Odo,  the  Archbishop, 
and  still  more  by  the  celebrated  Dunstan,  at 
first  Abbot  of  Glastonbury  and  afterwards  his 
successor.  These  two  men  pressed  hard  on  the 
royal  power,  and,  among  other  things,  they 
succeeded  in  separating  the  King  from  his  young 
wife  and  cousin  Elgiva,  for  grief  of  which  it  is 
said  that  he  died  of  a  broken  heart.  This  grant 
may  have  been  an  attempt  on  the  young  King's 
part  to  propitiate  his  tormentors.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  brother  Edgar  whose  signature  is 
added  to  the  Charter. 

It  should  be  noticed  that  the  gift  was  not  of 
a  manor,  but  of  a  small  portion  of  land  consisting 
of  five  hides,  or  perhaps  about  600  acres.  A  hide 
usually  signified  a  house  with  sufficient  land  to 
maintain  a  family,  estimated  at  about  120  to 
160  acres. 

It  was  in  the  most  fertile  part  of  the  Parish, 
by  the  river,  and  included  a  mill,  then  as  now, 
a  very  valuable  property.  The  boundaries  are 
difficult  to  follow.  They  start  from  a  line  on  the 
Southern  side  called  Elfleds  boundary — could  this 
have  been  what  we  now  know  as  Grimmer' s  Bank 
which  must,  at  any  rate,  have  been  in  existence 
at  the  time  ? — Elflidius  was  a  Mercian  Queen  who 
was  endowed  with  other  property  in  Berks,  some 
of  which  she  gave  to  Abingdon  ;  by  her  name  being 
mentioned  here,  it  is  plain  that  she  owned  Alder- 
maston  at  about  the  time  of  the  gift  of  Padworth 
to  Abingdon,  which  was  A.D.  956. (0 

(i)    Rev.  J.  Slatter,  late  Rector  of  Whitchurch,  Oxon. 


106  ABINGDON    CHARTERS. 

The  mention  of  a  bridge  is  interesting,  as 
shewing  that  our  Saxon  ancestors  were  already 
independent  of  the  natural  fords,  or  crossing 
places. 

Oxen  folds  sounds  strangely  familar  to  us  who 
are  in  the  habit  of  seeing  the  herds  of  oxen  feeding 
in  the  river  meadows  to-day.  We  feel  sure,  as 
we  read  it,  that  the  Charter  was  drawn  up  by 
someone  well  acquainted  with  the  locality. 

And  yet,  there  are  circumstances  which  cause 
one  to  hesitate  before  accepting  it  as  history. 
Although,  as  we  have  seen  above,  this  gift  of 
King  Edwy's  was  afterwards  confirmed  by  Edward 
the  Confessor,  perhaps  within  twenty  years  of 
the  Norman  Conquest,  yet  in  Domesday  Book, 
where  a  record  is  entered  of  all  the  landowners 
in  the  various  parishes  under  the  Saxon  kings  as 
well  as  of  the  grants  of  manors  made  to  the  Norman 
knights,  no  mention  is  made  of  any  land  belonging 
to  the  Abbey  of  Abingdon  in  the  Parish  of 
Peteorde. 

It  is  also  certain  that,  later  on,  at  the  time  of 
the  dissolution  of  the  monasteries,  when  their 
possessions  were  carefully  noted  for  the  purpose 
of  confiscation,  the  Abbey  was  not  known  to 
have  any  property  in  Pad  worth.  A  well-known 
authority  on  Saxon  History,  Mr.  W.  H.  Stevenson, 
has  given  us  an  explanation  in  his  work  The 
Abingdon  Chronicled  He  states  that  the 
Abingdon  Charters  certainly  include  a  number 
of  curious  forgeries  among  them.  It  is  possible 
that  the  Abbey,  having  acquired  some  right 
to  lands  in  Padworth  after  the  Norman  Con- 
quest, tried  to  strengthen  their  claim  by  inventing 

(i)   Master  of  Rolls  series. 


DOMESDAY    BOOK. 

grants  by  King  Edwy.  As  the  Abbey  is 
always  said  to  have  been  destroyed  by  the 
Danes  in  Alfred's  reign  and  not  to  have  been 
rebuilt  till  King  Edred's  time,  any  grant  to  it  by 
Edwy  seems  suspicious. 

King  Ethelred,  mentioned  in  the  last  extract 
as  having  bestowed  the  Abbacie  of  Abingdon 
on  Edwin,  brother  to  Eadric — that  is,  given 
him  the  appointment  of  Abbot — was  the  same 
who  earned,  by  his  want  of  success  in  his  wars 
with  the  Danes,  the  unenviable  epithet  of  The 
Unready.  This  word,  however,  in  Anglo-Saxon, 
means  not  unreadiness  but  ill  counsel. 

DOMESDAY  BOOK. 

The  Parish  of  Padworth  has  been,  from  Saxon 
times  till  the  present  day,  divided  into  two  separate 
Manors.  Of  one,  the  larger  of  the  two,  it  is 
recorded  in  Domesday  Book  that  Stephen,  son 
of  Eirard,  holds  Peteorde  (Padworth)  of  the  King. 
Three  thanes  held  it  (<  in  par  agio  "  and  they  could 
go  where  they  wished  with  their  lands — that  is, 
the  three  Thanes  who  held  the  manor  in  paragio, 
before  the  Norman  Conquest,  under  Edward  the 
Confessor,  had  no  overlord  but  the  King  and 
were,  in  fact,  independent.  Paragium  implied 
the  holding  in  equal  portions  and  with  equal 
rights  and  privileges.  It  would  seem  that  the 
Stephen,  son  of  Eirard,  was  one  of  these  Thanes, 
at  any  rate,  that  he  was  a  Saxon  by  birth, 
as  he  is  included  among  the  Thanes  (or  Saxon 
landowners)  in  the  list  at  the  end  of  the  Berkshire 
proprietors.  If  so,  he  is  one  of  the  very  few 
natives  who  were  not  dispossessed  by  their 
Norman  conquerors. 


I08  DOMESDAY    BOOK. 

The  manor  is  thus  described  : — 

There  are  seven  hides  and  a  half,  they  were  then  and 
are  now  rated  for  five  hides  and  a  half.  The  land  is  of 
five  ploughs.  In  demesne  there  is  one  hide  and  three 
villeins  and  two  cottagers  with  one  plough. 

There  are  two  mills  and  a  half,  worth  37/6,  and  forty- 
eight  acres  of  meadow. 

Of  these  hides  NIGELLE  holds  one  hide,  and  certain 
Knights  half  a  hide. 

There  is  in  the  demesne  one  carucate  and  four  villeins 
and  three  cottagers  with  two  carucates  and  a  half. 

The  whole  in  KING  EDWARD's  time  was  worth  £5  and 
afterwards  £4.  Now  it  is  worth  £4  10s. 

The  second  or  smaller  manor  is  thus  described  :— 
WILLIAM  DE  OW  holds  PETEORDE  of  the  KING 
and  GOZELIN  holds  it  of  him. 

ALESTAN  held  it  of  KING  EDWARD  and  it  was 
then  and  is  now  rated  for  two  hides  and  a  half.  The  land 
is  two  carucates. 

In  demesne  there  is  one  carucate  and  three  villeins 
and  four  borderers  with  one  plough.  There  is  half  a 
mill  there,  worth  7/6,  and  sixteen  acres  of  meadow.  It 
was  worth  50 /-  now  40/-. 

The  hide  was  a  measure  of  land  varying  in 
extent  in  different  districts  ;  it  is  generally  con- 
sidered to  have  been  about  120  acres.  A  Carucate 
was  a  tract  of  land  which  could  be  ploughed 
by  one  team  of  oxen  ;  caruca  is  the  Saxon  word 
for  plough. 

The  demesne  was  the  land  held  in  the  Lord's  own 
hands,  his  home  farm  and  estate,  including  his 
share  of  the  Common  fields.  It  was  managed  by  a 
bailiff,  the  rest  of  the  property  being  let  out  to 
tenants. 

These  were  of  different  ranks  ;  there  were 
Free  tenants,  of  whom  Gozelin  who  held  under 
William  de  Ow  was  probably  one.  They  owed 
fealty  and  military  service  to  their  Lord,  but  no 


HUSSEE'S  MANOR.  109 

actual  labour.  The  villeins,  or  serfs,  were  cottage 
tenants  who,  in  lieu  of  rent,  were  bound  to  work 
on  the  Lord's  land  at  certain  times  without  pay, 
also  to  supply  him  with  a  share  of  the  produce 
of  their  holding,  and,  above  all,  to  go  out  to 
fight  when  required  by  the  King. 

Borderers  were  in  much  the  same  position  but 
with  fewer  rights.  Such  was  what  is  called  the 
Feudal  system. 

The  sixteen  acres  of  meadow  was  evidently  that 
part  of  Padworth  which  lies  by  the  river  Kennet  in 
the  valley.  There  is  only  one  mill  now,  but  in 
those  days  there  seem  to  have  been  three,  and 
of  one  of  these  William  de  Ow  owned  a  half  share 
of  the  profits.  Mills  were  always  a  monopoly 
in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  of  the  Manor. 

HUSSEE'S  MANOR. 
The  j0   treat   first   of   the   smaller   manor,    known 

Hussee 

Family,     afterwards,  from  the  name  of  its  possessors,  as 
Hussee' s  Manor. 

William  de  Ow  is  thought  to  be  the  same  as  a 
William  Comte  d'Eu,  son  of  Robert,  who  joined 
in  a  rebellion  against  William  Rufus  in  1096. (0 
He  was  taken  prisoner,  deprived  of  his  sight, 
and  otherwise  horribly  mutilated. 

Nothing  is  known  of  his  immediate  descendants 
or  of  the  owners  of  this  manor  till,  in  Henry  III.'s 
time,  that  is  some  time  after  A.D.  1216,  we  learn 
from  a  record  of  the  landowners  of  England, 
called  the  Testa  de  Nevill  that  a  certain  John  de  la 
Hoese  held  property  in  Padworth.  It  is  possible, 
from  his  name,  that  he  may  have  been  a  descendant 
of  the  original  William  de  Ow. 

(i)  Conqueror  and  his  Companions.     W.  Planche.     Vol.  I.,  p.  261. 


iio  HUSSEE'S  MANOR. 


The  name  went  through  many  changes  :— 
Hoese,  Howse,  Huse,  Hussee  and  eventually 
Hussey.  John  de  la  Hoese  had  a  son  Nicholas, 
whose  son  and  heir,  Peter  de  la  Hoese,  was  born 
in  A.D.  1260.  He  married  Agatha,  co-heiress 
with  her  sister  Constance  of  the  Manor  of 
Finchampstead  which  had  belonged  to  their 
father,  Sir  William  Banastre.  Constance  also 
married  a  de  la  Hoese,  a  cousin  of  Peter's,  named 
John,  but  they  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
history  of  Padworth. 

The  descent  of  the  de  la  Hoese  family  and  their 
successors,  the  owners  of  what  came  to  be  called 
Hussee' s  Manor  at  Padworth,  is  as  follows  :— 

Peter  de  la  Hoese=Agatha,  dau.  of  Sir  Wm.  Banastre, 
b.  1260.     d.  1307     heiress  of  West  Manor,  Finchampstead. 


Peter  de  la  Hoese= Aline 


Thomas  de  la  Hoese= 

John  de  Colney=Joan  de  la  Hoese 

John  de  Colney  or  Collee= 
t>-  J354-     (i-  J3^2 


John  Collee= Elizabeth  Thomas  Collee 

b.  1376.     living  1437      |  living  1402 

Stephen  Collee— 
living   1454 

Margaret  Collee=John  Parkyns, 
heiress  of  West  Manor,  of  Ufton  Robert. 

Finchampstead,  and 
Hussee's  Manor,  Padworth. 

Thomas  Parkyns  of  Ufton  Robert, 
Finchampstead  and  Padworth. 
living  1495—1524. 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  men  and  women 
whose  names  have  been  here  given  ;  the  very 
names  themselves  would  long  ago  have  been  lost, 
but  that  a  few  old  parchment  deeds  in  old  legal 


HUSSEE'S  MANOR.  in 

Latin,  beautifully  written  in  the  Courthand 
of  the  time,  have  been  preserved  to  tell  all  we 
know  of  the  tale.  Some  are  in  our  public  National 
Record  Office  in  London,  and  a  few  others, 
accidentally  saved,  no  one  can  tell  how  or  why, 
were  found  by  Mr.  Congreve,  of  Aldermaston, 
in  1802  hidden  away  among  the  old  timbers 
of  the  roof  of  Ufton  Court,  and  were  given  over 
by  him  to  Mr.  Benyon  when  the  Ufton  Estate 
changed  hands. 
Coiiee  These  are  contemporary  records,  as  old  as  the 

Family. 

time  of  which  they  tell.  There  is  the  mention  of  a 
gift  of  land  made  by  the  John  Collee  living  in 
1376  to  the  Parson  of  Englefield.  There  are 
statements  of  the  extent  of  the  property  held  by 
him  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1382  and  that  his 
son  and  heir  John,  was  then  a  child  of  six  years, 
who,  being  a  minor,  would  be  a  ward  in  Chancery, 
and  his  estates  administered  by  some  guardian 
appointed  by  the  King  till  he  should  come  of 
age.  And  then  there  is  the  suit  entered  by  the 
same  son  and  heir,  John  Collee,  when  he  had 
come  of  age,  against  a  certain  Isabella,  widow 
of  a  Sir  John  Rondon,  Knight,  who  disputed  his 
right  of  succession,  maintaining  that  Peter  de  la 
Hoese  left  no  daughter  Joan,  and  that  therefore 
John  Collee  could  not  have  inherited  the  de  la 
Hoese  property  through  her.  As  he  evidently 
remained  in  possession,  we  must  suppose  that  he 
was  able  satisfactorily  to  prove  his  right.  And 
lastly,  there  is  the  deed  of  settlement,  according 
to  which,  the  estates  in  Padworth  and  elsewhere, 
that  Margaret  Collee  (grand-daughter  of  the  said 
John,  brought  to  her  husband  John  Parkyns  of 
Ufton)  were  to  descend  to  her  son,  Thomas  Parkyns. 


ii2  HUSSEE'S  MANOR. 


From  these  and  such  like  documents  it  has  been 
possible  to  build  up  a  dry  skeleton  of  the  family 
history  of  the  owners  of  Hussee's  Manor.  A  dry 
skeleton,  and  nothing  more,  yet,  if  we  could  read 
between  the  lines,  tales  of  sorrow  and  tragedy 
could  not  be  absent. 

Margaret  Collee,  the  heiress,  lived  through  the 
times'  of  the  Wars  of  the  Roses — there  were  many 
heiresses  in  those  days,  for  lack  of  the  heirs  who 
had  been  slain  in  battle. 

When  the  Collee  Estates  passed  to  the  Lord  of 
the  Manor  of  Ufton  Robert,  and  subsequently  to 
his  son,  Thomas  Parkyns,  the  history  of  Hussee's 
Manor  becomes  merged  in  that  of  Ufton,  for  it  has 
remained  till  the  present  day  part  of  the  Ufton 
Estate.  Together  with  that  property  it  was 
purchased  in  1802  from  the  representative  of  the 
Perkins  family  by  Mr.  Congreve  of  Aldermaston, 
and  subsequently  sold  by  him  to  Mr.  Benyon  de 
Beauvoir  of  Englefield,  to  whose  great  nephew, 
Mr.  Herbert  Benyon,  it  now  belongs.  It  includes 
that  part  of  the  Parish  of  Padworth  which  adjoins 
Ufton,  being  divided  from  the  rest  of  Padworth 
by  the  lane  running  alongside  of  Padworth  Park 
which  leads  from  the  top  of  the  hill  to  the  river. 
The  old  manor  house  of  the  Hussee's  and  Collees 
itself  existed  almost  within  living  memory,  at 
least,  if  we  may  believe,  as  seems  probable, 
Hail,  ^hat  it  was  the  same  known  in  later  days  as  Pam 
Hall.  It  was  pulled  down  about  fifty  years  ago, 
but  its  site  may  even  now  still  be  recognized  on 
the  slope  of  the  hill  just  below  the  smithy,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  lane  where  some  quadrangular 
shaped  mounds  mark  the  spot  where  once  stood 
the  home  of  the  Lords  of  the  Manor. 


DESCENT    OF    THE    COWDRAYS   OF    PADWORTH.     113 


THOMAS  COWDRAY= 
living  1203 

SlR    FULC    DE    COWDRAY  — 

d.  1251 


Geoffrey 


SIR  PETER  DE  CowDRAY=Agnes  daughter  of  Emericus  de  Sacy 
b.  1238 
d.  1304 


>  I  I  I 

SIR  THOMAS  DE  CowoRAY=Juliana     Ralph=Christina     Richard     Roger 


d.  between  1337  &  1342 


living  1333 


SIR  THOMAS  CowDRAY=(1)Lucy 
d.  1349  |(2)Joan 


John     Sir  Henry=Joan     Peter= 
d-  1365 


Clerk 
j  living  1303 — 1331 


daughter 

SIR  FULK  CowDRAY=Joan=Sir  Thomas 
d.  s.p.  1378  Fifhilde 

d.  1362 


Edward=(1)Maud     Thomas 
living      l2)Joan     =  Isabel 


THOMAS  PETER  CowDRAY=(1)Maud       John= Margaret     Joan         Margaret 


living  1426 
d.  s.p. 


(2)Agnes 


EDWARD  COWDRAY= 

d.  1465 
I 
PETER  COWDRAY= 

d.  s.p.  1482 

l 

PETER  CowDRAY=(1)Clara 

d.  1528  Langford 

=(2)Dorothy 
White 


living    =  J.Skylling    =R.White- 
a  widow  head 

1422 


John=  Rosamond 
d.  s.p.     Rythe 


I 

Edward 
d.  s.p. 


=  Peter  Kydwelly 


Willi 


I 

Elizabeth=(1)R.  Paulet         Margery=Wm.  Rythe 
(2)Ld.  Windsor 
(3)G.  Puttenham 


Ham  Mary  Elizabeth 

Kydwelly  =Jerome        =William 

d.  s.p.  1575  Stanshawe      Davison 

of  Wasing       of  London 


=(1)Nicholas     (2)=Elizabeth 

Tichborne 

Sir  Benjamin          Martin  Tichborne 
Tichborne  d.  s.p.  1525 


H4 

COWDRAY'S    MANOR. 

"  The  memory  of  them  is  forgotten,  also  their  love,  their  hatred 
and  their  envy  is  now  perished." 

The  larger  and  more  important  of  the  two 
Manors  contained  within  the  Parish  of  Padworth, 
sometimes  distinguished  by  the  name  of  Cowd ray's 
Manor,  was,  as  is  recorded  in  Domesday  Book, 
held  after  the  Conquest  by  one  Stephen,  son  of 
Eirard  ;  beyond  the  suggestion  already  made 
that  he  may  have  been  of  Saxon  birth,  nothing  is 
known  of  his  family. 

2. 'Sen.  m.  After  this,  mention  is  found,  in  a  document 
dated  1175,  of  a  Robert  de  Peteorde  who  was 
assessed  half  a  mark  for  pleas  of  forest  (that  is, 
right  of  chase),  but  the  King  kept  the  land  in  his 
own  hands,  for  the  Norman  Kings  were  very 
tenacious  of  these  rights.  It  may  have  been 

1708.  Foi.  71.  the  same  Robert  who,  with  a  relative,  William 
de  Peteorde,  made  a  grant  of  half  an  acre  of 
land  in  Padworth  to  the  Abbey  of  Reading  ; 
but  of  this  one  cannot  be  sure  as  no  dates  are 
affixed  to  these  ecclesiastical  Deeds  of  Gift. 
Herriard  The  earliest  mention  by  name  of  the  Cowdray 

TheDcotdray  family  is  in  a  Deed  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Jervoise 
Family.  Qf  Herriard  Park,  of  which,  by  his  kind  permission, 
a  photograph  is  here  reproduced.  It  is  a  Deed  of 
Grant  by  which  Fulc  de  Cowdray  transferred  the 
Manors  of  Sherborne  Cowdray,  now  known  as 
the  Vyne,  and  that  of  Padworth  to  Maud  de 
Heryerd  and  Nicholas  her  son  for  their  lives 
in  exchange  for  the  Manors  of  Heryerd  which  was 
to  be  to  him  and  his  heirs  in  perpetuity.  The 
two  families  were  connected  as  Fulc  de  Cowdray 's 
mother  had  married  as  her  second  husband  Roger, 
a  son  of  the  Maud  here  mentioned.  Among  the 


XV11. 


THE    COWDRAY    FAMILY.  115 

witnesses  of  the  Deed  are  Robert  de  Offington 
(Ufton)  and  Henry  de  la  Huesse  or  Hoese.  The 
first  was  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Ufton  Robert, 
and  the  second  must  have  been  of  the  family 
of  the  smaller  Manor  of  Padworth.  Robert  de 
Offington  is  known  to  have  been  living  in  1240, 
which  gives  us  a  clue  to  the  date  of  this  transaction. 
In  this  way  the  Manor  of  Heryerd  (Herriard 
near  Basingstoke)  became,  as  it  long  remained, 
the  property  of  the  owners  of  Padworth.  Inci- 
dentally, one  cannot  fail  to  notice  the  resemblance 
of  the  name  Heryerd  to  that  of  the  Knight  Stephen, 
son  of  Eirard,  in  Domesday  Book. 
chancery  Fulc  de  Cowdrav  died  in  1251,  and  by  the 

Inq.  P.M. 

36  Hen.  in.  enquiry  into  his  estate  made,  as  was  customary, 
after  his  decease,  we  learn  that  he  held  the  Manor 
of  Padworth  by  Grand  sergeantry  of  the  King, 
that  is,  for  personal  service  rendered  to  him  as 
his  Liege  Lord — the  service  in  this  case  being  to 
provide  a  man  to  hold  a  rope  on  the  Queen's  Ship 
when  she  shall  cross  between  England  and  Normandy. 
The  enquiry  was  held  before  John  Neirvut,  as 
Escheator  for  Berks,  Lord  of  the  neighbouring 
Manor  which  is  still  called  after  his  name  Ufton 
Nervet. 

The  name  of  Cowdrav  is  said  to  have  been 
derived  from  Corde  de  Roy  in  allusion  to  this 
service  required  of  the  head  of  the  family.  Some- 
times, instead  of  service,  the  yearly  presentation 
of  some  trifling  object  was  required  from  the 
Lord's  tenant,  such  as  a  sparrow  hawk  or  a  pepper- 
corn, and  the  custom  survives  even  to  the  present 
day  in  the  case  of  the  Dukes  of  Marlborough 
and  Wellington,  the  one  being  bound  to  present 
yearly  to  the  sovereign  a  Bourbon  Flag,  the 


Il6  THE    COWDRAY   FAMILY. 

other  a  Tricolour  as  acknowledgement  of  the 
estates  they  received  from  the  Crown  in  reward 
for  their  victories  over  the  French. 

At  the  time  of  Fulc  de  Cowdray's  death  his 
Manor  of  Padworth  consisted  of  38  acres  in 
demesne,  or  land  held  by  the  Lord  in  his  own 
hands,  and  245  acres  at  the  value  of  one  penny 
per  acre— that  is,  in  all,  2O/4d; — rents  from 
free  tenants  amounting  to  32/2d,  also  sixteen 
acres  of  meadow,  some  pasture  land  and  a  mill. 
In  all  these  valuations  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  money  was  worth  a  great  deal  more  in  those 
days  than  now,  and  that  much  of  a  Lord's  wealth 
consisted  in  the  forced  services  of  villeins  and 
other  tenants. 

His  son  and  heir  Peter,  was  not  fourteen  years 

old  when  he  inherited  his  father's  estates,  never  the- 

caiendar    less   we   find   that   in   the   following   year,    1252, 

.36  Hen.  in.  he  was  married  to  Agnes,  daughter  of  Emery.de 
Sacy  ;  it  was  apparently  an  arrangement  made 
for  him  by  his  father  before  his  death,  for  an 
agreement  exists  signed  by  Fulc  de  Cowdray 
and  Geoffrey  his  brother  with  Emery  de  Sacy 
(Barton  Stacey),  by  which  the  latter  made  over 
to  Peter  Cowdray,  probably  as  his  daughter's 
marriage  portion,  all  his  land  in  Pamber  in 
Hampshire  which  is  still  part  of  the  Padworth 

1263.  Abb.  i-  Estate.     By    another    agreement,    the    reason    of 

Placit™ 

which  is  not  explained,  Fulc  had  received  from 
Richard  de  Lepewort  the  Manor  of  Mulsho  in 
Buckinghamshire,  in  later  deeds  included  in  the 
enumeration  of  the  family  estates  though  not 
now  forming  part  of  them. 

Sir  Peter  Cowdray,  son  of  Sir  Fulc,  became 
a  verv  active  and  devoted  servant  of  Edward  I. 


THE    COWDRAY    FAMILY. 

He  fought  in  the  Scotch  and  Welsh  wars,  for  which 
last  he  was  summoned  in  1297  to  muster  in  London 
with  horses  and  arms  on  the  Sunday  next  before 
the  feast  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  The  last 
time  he  is  mentioned  as  being  called  to  fight  was 
for  the  war  in  Scotland  in  1300  when  he  must 
have  been  over  sixty.  In  1303  he  appointed 
DiocnnRegr.  his  son  Richard  Cowdray,  a  priest,  to  the  living  of 


Heryerd  and  died  soon  afterwards  for,  in  1304, 
his  son  Thomas  reigned  in  his  stead.  This 
Thomas  had  already  in  his  father's  lifetime 
received  from  him  the  grant  of  the  Manor  of 
Heryerd,  for  which  he  paid  a  life  rent  of  £30,  and, 
on  succeeding  to  the  whole  property,  is  said  to 
have  held  the  Manors  of  Lyford  and  Padworth 
in  Berkshire,  and  Gatehampton  and  Mulsho  in 
Buckinghamshire,  also  Sherborne  and  Heryerd 
in  Hampshire.  These  many  Manors  with  their 
residences  were  made  use  of  in  providing  for  the 
younger  members  of  the  family,  and  in  his  turn 
Thomas  granted  the  Manor  of  Mulsho  to  his 
eldest  son,  also  Thomas,  and  Lucy  his  wife  (for 
the  rent  of  a  rose)  and  settled  land  at  Heryerd 
on  his  second  son  Ralf . 

Like  his  father  and  grandfather  he  was  a  gallant 
warrior  and  knight ;  and  is  mentioned  as  taking 
part  in   the  celebrated  Tournament   at  Stepney 
•  writs,  in  1322.     In  1319  he  was  elected  Knight  of  the 
Shire,  that  is,  Member  of  Parliament  for  Hamp- 

ciose  Roils,  shire,   but  was  excused  attendance  as  being  on 

1320. 

service  with  the  King.  In  1322  he  was  present 
with  the  latter  at  the  defeat  of  the  Earls  of  Hertford 
and  Lancaster  at  the  Battle  of  Boroughbridge  ; 
in  the  following  year,  peace  having  been  for  the 
time  restored,  he  was  again  chosen  M.P. — this 


Il8  THE   COWDRAY    FAMILY. 

time  for  Berkshire.  In  1325  and  1326  he  was 
Parly  Writs  aPPomted  to  raise  soldiers  in  the  same  county  and 
to  inspect  the  levies  to  see  that  they  continued  fit 
for  service.  Meanwhile,  however,  he  was  not 
regardless  of  the  interests  of  his  family,  insisting, 
against  some  opposition,  on  the  right  they 
had  held  from  time  immemorial  to  hunt  the 
hare  and  fox  in  all  the  forests  of  Hampshire 
and  Berkshire.  He  seems  to  have  been  also  a 
pious  and  devout  man  after  the  manner  of  the 
times,  for,  in  1327,  he  was  appointed  with  one 
Gilbert  de  Ellisfield  to  the  Custody  of  the  Abbey 
>at^Roiis.  of  Atdngdon  ;  in  1334,  he  alienated  in  Mortmain, 
that  is,  for  after  his  death,  the  advowson  of 
Heryerd  to  the  Priory  of  Wyntney  in  Hampshire  ; 
and  apparently  just  before  his  death  he  re- 
endowed  the  Chantry  at  Sherborne,  now  the 
Chapel  attached  to  the  house  known  as  the 
Vyne,  and  appointed  his  brother  as  chaplain. 
He  had  married  a  lady  named  Juliana  whom  he 
mentions  in  the  Deed  of  Endowment  here  quoted 
from  the  History  of  the  Vyne  by  C.  Chute.  He 
says  :— 

I  give  to  my  brother,  Richard  de  Cowdray,  whilst 
he  shall  perform  divine  service  daily  in  the  Chapel  of 
Sherborne  Cowdray  in  honour  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and 
on  behalf  of  my  good  estate  while  I  shall  live  and  of 
my  soul  when  I  shall  depart  this  life,  and  on  behalf 
of  Adam  Orleton  Bishop  of  Winchester  and  my  father, 
Sir  Peter  de  Cowdray  and  my  mother  the  Lady  Agnes 
and  my  wife  Juliana  and  William  Attehurst  and  all 
faithful  departed,  one  plot  of  land  in  Sherborne  Cowdray 
and  one  rent  coming  to  me  from  land  held  by  Richard 
atte  Ostre  in  the  same  village,  and  one  rent  of  six  marks 
issuing  from  lands  in  Heryerd  and  Ellisfield,  held  by 
the  Prioress  of  Hartley  Wyntney,  to  have  and  to  hold 
the  same  to  the  same  Richard  and  his  successors  the 
chaplains  performing  divine  service  in  the  said  Chapel 
without  any  recourse  to  the  Mother  Church  of  Sherborne 
St.  John. 


THE    COWDRAY    FAMILY. 

Sir  Thomas  also  gave  to  the  Chapel  a  set  of 
books,  a  pair  of  vestments,  two  phials,  a  napkin 
or  towel  and  two  brass  candlesticks.  His  son 
Sir  Thomas  had  married  first  a  lady  of  the 
name  of  Lucy,  and  afterwards  a  second  wife, 
Joan,  on  whom  he  settled  the  Manor  of  Padworth, 
afterwards  to  go  to  his  heirs  male.  He  died 


1349.       on  the  i6th  May,  1349,  an^  h*5  widow  on  the  27th 

of  June  in  the  same  year,   and  at  the  enquiry 

.  into  his  estate  it  was  declared  that  there  had  been 

rents  from  Padworth  but  that  the  land  was  then 

worth  nothing  as  all  the  people  were  dead.     We 

must  look  to  history  to  account  for  this  terrible 

state  of  things. 

The  Black        In  the  year  1348  there  had  fallen  on  England 

Death,  1348. 

one  of  the  greatest  calamities  recorded  in  our 
history,  namely,  a  visitation  of  the  Plague  known 
as  the  Black  Death.  Not  only  mankind  but  the 
brute  creation  suffered  from  this  scourge,  and 
as  the  putrid  carcases  lay  unburied  in  the  fields 
the  infection  went  on  multiplying  itself  unchecked. 
A  tenth  of  the  whole  population  is  said  to  have 
died,  and  in  some  places,  as  seems  to  have  been 
the  case  at  Padworth,  no  men  were  left  to  till 
the  ground.  In  other  neighbouring  districts  in 
Berkshire  the  devastation  must  have  been  as 
Hist,  of  great.  Of  Thatcham,  about  six  miles  from  Pad- 

Thatcham. 

s.  Barfieia,  worth,  a  contemporary  deed  records  that  in 
that  year  all  the  free  tenants  and  the  peasants 
were  dead  by  the  pestilence  and  that  the  lands  are 
now  in  the  hands  of  the  lord  because  there  is  no  one 
who  wants  to  buy  or  to  till  them.  Naturally  the 
price  of  food  rose  enormously,  also  the  countrymen 
who  survived  endeavoured  by  combination  to 
obtain  enhanced  wages  for  their  labour,  till  a 


120  THE    COWDRAY    FAMILY. 

statute  was  passed  to  oblige  them  to  work  for 
any  one  who  would  employ  them  for  the  accus- 
tomed pay.  Many  years  elapsed  before  the 
country  recovered  its  usual  condition.  Though 
there  is  no  record  that  such  was  the  fact  it  seems 
probable  that  the  deaths  of  Sir  Thomas  Cowdray 
and  his  wife,  following  so  closely  on  each  other, 
were  caused  by  the  epidemic  then  prevailing. 

Their  son,  Fulke  de  Cowdray,  was  35  years  old 
when  he  succeeded  to  the  Manor  of  Padworth 
with  other  estates  in  1349.  Sherborne  Cowdray 
had,  however,  passed  to  his  sister,  on  whom  it 
was  settled  on  her  marriage  with  Sir  Thomas 
Fifhilde  of  Fifield.  He  had  no  children  and, 
in  consequence,  he  settled  the  reversion  of  the 
manor  of  Heryerd  on  a  cousin,  Sir  Henry  Cowdray  ; 
this  manor,  as  it  is  there  explained,  was  at  the 
time  held  by  Sir  Robert  Achard  and  Agnes  his 
wife  on  a  lease  for  their  lives  by  a  grant  from  Sir 
Henry's  and  Sir  Fulke' s  grandfather,  Sir  Thomas 
Cowdray. 

Sir  Fulke  left  to  his  widow  Joan  the  Manor  of 

Padworth  for  her  life  with  a  reversion  to  one 

Padworth    William  Mulsho,   Parson  of  Berughby   (sic),   who 

Deeds.  °  ' 

afterwards,  by  a  deed  dated  1378,  granted  this 
reversion  and  all  his  rights  over  the  Manor  to 
the  Venerable  Father  in  God,  the  Lord  William 
of  Wykeham,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  and  his  heirs 
in  perpetuity.  William  Mulsho  may  have  been 
connected  with  the  Cowdray  family — that  he 
bore  the  name  of  one  of  their  Manors  suggests 
the  possibility — and  the  grant  may  have  been 
merely  a  trust  deed.  At  any  rate  it  is  certain 
that  the  estates  of  Padworth  were  not  then  so 
alienated,  but  that  they  passed,  together  with  the 


THE    COWDRAY    FAMILY.  121 

Manor  of  Heryerd,  at  the  death  of  Sir  Henry 
Cowdray  in  1365,  who  left  no  son,  to  Edward 
Cowdray,  the  son  of  his  younger  brother  Peter, 
then  a  minor.  This  Edward  came  of  age  and 
held  his  first  Manor  Court  at  Heryerd  in  1376  ; 
that  he  resided  there  and  not  at  Padworth  is 
explained  by  the  fact  that  Joan,  the  widow  of 
Sir  Fulke,  on  whom  the  place  had  been  settled, 
was  then  still  living.  He  married,  first,  Maud, 
daughter  of  Sir  John  Lislebon,  by  whom  he  had 
a  large  family,  and  secondly,  a  lady  named  Joan. 
At  his  death  he  had  settled  his  estates  on  his 
eldest  son  Thomas,  who  however,  died  without 
issue  and  his  younger  brother  Peter  was  enfeoffed. 
Peter  had  married  Agnes,  the  daughter,  by  a 
former  marriage,  of  his  stepmother  Joan.  In 
Rot.  Pari.  1433  he  was  chosen  Knight  of  the  Shire  for  Berks, 
and  dying,  left  a  son,  also  named  Edward,  to 
succeed  him.  Of  this  second  Edward  we  know 
no  more  than  that  when  he  died,  in  1465,  he  left 
1465  as  his  heir  a  son  Peter,  a  child  of  seven  years  old, 
in"  P  M  to  succeed  him.  The  estates  immediately  passed 
4thEd.  iv.  under  the  control  of  guardians  and  trustees 
appointed  by  the  King  ;  of  whom  one  was  the 
powerful  Earl  of  Warwick,  known  as  the  King- 
maker, and  another  was  his  kinsman,  Richard 
Beauchamp,  Bishop  of  Salisbury. 

At  this  time,  and  during  all  our  early  history, 
the  guardianship  of  minors  wras  a  very  profitable 
appendage  to  the  Crown.  As  Lord-in-chief  over 
all  the  land  of  the  country,  the  King  had  absolute 
control  of  all  properties  held  by  the  heirs  of  tenants 
in  Capite — that  is — such  as  held  their  land  directly 
from  the  Crown,  and  were  under  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  at  the  time  at  which  they  inherited.  These 


122  THE    COWDRAY    FAMILY. 

he  would  grant,  either  for  money  consideration, 
or  to  curry  favour  with  some  one  of  his  powerful 
nobles,  to  be  held  nominally,  in  the  interests  of 
the  minor,  but,  practically,  for  their  own  con- 
siderable profit.  Such  guardians  had  also  the 
right  of  arranging  the  marriage  of  their  ward,  and 
this  was  openly  treated  by  them  as  a  matter  of 
bargain  and  gain. 

The  Earl  of  Warwick  and  his  fellow  trustees, 
in  the  same  year  in  which  they  were  appointed, 
executed  a  grant  of  the  Manor  of  Heryerd  in 
favour  of  Edward  Langford,  probably  the  same 
who  was  at  the  time  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Brad- 
field,  but  whether  this  was  with  a  view  to  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter  to  the  young  heir  is  not 
clear.  The  young  man  died,  however,  only  a 
few  weeks  after  attaining  his  majority,  in  the 
1482.  year  1482,  without  leaving  any  children  ;  after 
which  the  next  heir  was  declared  to  be  a  kinsman 
probably  a  cousin,  also  named  Peter. 

If  Edward  Langford  had  failed  to  secure  the 
inheritance  of  the  first  Peter  for  his  daughter, 
he  was  more  successful  with  the  second,  who 
Berry's  actually  married,  as  his  first  wife,  Clara,  daughter 
of  Edward  Langford  of  Bradfield,  and  by  her  had 
a  daughter,  Philippa,  who  seems  to  have  died  in 
his  lifetime,  for,  in  1510,  he  settled  his  Manors, 
both  of  Padworth  and  Heryerd  on  his  second 
wife,  Dorothy,  daughter  of  Robert  White  of 
Southwarnboro'  in  Hampshire  and  on  their  child- 
ren after  her,  with  remainder  to  his  brother  John 
and  his  heirs  male. 

court  Baron,  On  the  4th  of  December,  1524,  Peter  Cowdray, 
as  Lord  of  the  Manor,  held  a  Court  Baron  at 
Padworth.  These  Courts  were  for  the  purpose 


THE   COWDRAY   FAMILY.  123 

of  granting  or  renewing  leases,  hearing  the  griev- 
ances of  the  tenants,  and  imposing  fines  for 
misdemeanours.  They  were  held  periodically 
before  the  Lord  of  the  Manor  assisted  by  his 
steward,  or  sometimes,  in  his  absence,  by  the 
steward  alone.  There  were  always  present  a 
certain  number  of  the  upper  class  of  tenants, 
sometimes  spoken  of  as  the  Homage,  who  swore 
to  witness  truly  concerning  the  matters  brought 
forward. 

Any  fresh  rules  or  instructions  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Manor  were  also  given  out  on  these 
occasions.  The  Court  Roll,  as  it  is  called,  written 
in  Latin,  of  this  Court  Baron  held  by  Sir  Peter 
Cowdray,  is  still  preserved  amongst  the  Deeds 
of  the  Estate.  A  translation  of  it  will  be  found 
in  the  Chapter  on  the  Parish,  page  163. 

Peter  Cowdray  was  the  last  of  his  name  of 
1528.  Padworth.  He  died  on  the  loth  of  April,  1528  ; 
chancery  his  wife  survived  him  only  a  few  weeks  and  their 
ii.  inheritance  passed  to  their  three  daughters,  Joan, 
Elizabeth,  and  Margery,  as  co-heiresses,  the 
eldest  being  at  the  time  only  ten  years  old.  When 
they  respectively  came  of  age,  Joan  had  married 
Peter  Kidwelly  of  Faccombe  in  Hampshire,  Eliza- 
beth had  married  Richard  Paulet,  second  son  of 
the  Marquess  of  Winchester,  and  Margery,  the 
youngest,  was  the  wife  of  William  Rythe  of 
Tolford  in  Hampshire.  The  Estates  were  then 
divided  between  them. 

In  J549>  Elizabeth  Paulet  and  her  husband 
RollvniHen  sold  their  third  Part  of  the  Manor  of  Padworth 
to  her  sister  Joan  Kidwelly.  Elizabeth  married 
three  times ;  her  second  husband  was  Lord 
Windsor,  and  the  third,  George  Puttenham.  She 


124  THE    COWDRAY    HEIRESSES. 

was  the  ancestress  of  the  present  Lord  of  the 
Manor  of  Herriard  in  Hampshire,  but  has  no 
further  connection  with  our  story. 

Two-thirds  of  the  Padworth  property  were  now 
held  by  the  Kydwellys,  and  the  remaining  third 
by  Margery  and  William  Rythe.  The  Manor 
House,  however,  seems  to  have  been  held  in 
common  by  the  two  sisters,  for  a  lease  exists, 
dated  1550,  in  which  they  jointly  grant  the 
scite  of  the  manor  of  Padworth  for  21  years  to  one 
John  Littlefield ;  excepting,  however,  all  roads 
and  ponds  and  heriots  and  perquisites  of  Court 
pertaining  thereto. 

To  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  family  of  Joan 
Kydwelly,  the  eldest  of  the  three  daughters, 
co-heiresses  of  Peter  Cowdray — she  died  at  her 
husband's  property,  Faccombe  in  Hampshire, 
on  the  1 5th  October,  1562,  he  having  predeceased 
her,  and  their  son,  William,  inherited  that  estate 
and  also  the  two-thirds  of  Padworth  Manor. 
inq.  P.M.  On  this  occasion  it  was  certified  that  the 
Manor  was  still  held  for  the  same  feudal  service 
as  of  old — that  of  supplying  a  man  to  hold  a  rope 
in  the  Queen's  ship  on  her  crossing  beyond  the  sea. 
The  wording  of  the  tenure  is,  as  will  be  noticed, 
slightly  altered,  for  Normandy  had  then,  in 
Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  long  ceased  to  belong  to 
the  English  Crown,  and  Calais,  our  last  possession 
in  France,  had  been  lost  during  the  previous 
reign.  These  curious  feudal  tenures  were,  in 
almost  all  cases,  formally  abolished  after  the 
Restoration  of  Charles  II.  in  1660. 

William  Kydwelly  came  of  age  in  February, 
1571,  and  died  unmarried  in  1575,  when  his  two 
sisters,  Mary,  who  had  married  Jerome  Stanshowe 


THE    COWDRAY    HEIRESSES.  125 

of  Wasing,  and  Elizabeth  the  wife  of  William 
Davison  of  London,  County  Middlesex,  of  the 
Glaziers  company,  were  declared  to  be  his 
heiresses.  In  the  following  year,  William  and 
Feeto5f7Fines  Elizabeth  Davison  sold  their  share  of  the  inherit- 


zt.  ance  to  George  Littlefield,  alias  Turner,  who  in  the 


Deed  of  Contract  is  styled  Yeoman  of  Padworth,  for 
£220.  It  consisted  of  twenty  messuages  with 
gardens,  orchards  and  meadows,  740  acres  of 
land  and  one  water  mill,  yielding  a  rent  of  twenty 
shillings.  Ten  years  later,  in  1586,  George  Little- 
field  became  the  owner  by  purchase  also  of  that 
portion  of  the  estate  which  had  fallen  to  the  elder 
FeeB°efrkslies>  sister  Mary,  the  wife  of  Jerome  Stanshowe, 
28-29  Eiizth.  for  ^g  sum  of  £400.  This  last  share  consisted 
of  twelve  houses  with  gardens,  meadows  and 
orchards,  680  acres  of  land,  one  water  mill  yielding 
a  rent  of  2O/-,  and  rights  of  fishing  in  the  river 
Kennet. 

Margery,  the  youngest  of  the  three  heiresses 
of  Peter  Cowdray,  who  had  married  William 
Rythe  of  Tolford,  had,  for  her  share  of  the 
property,  ten  houses,  six  cottages,  1,000  acres 
of  arable  land,  200  acres  of  meadow,  1,000  acres 
of  pasture,  120  acres  of  wood,  300  acres  of  furze 
and  waste  land  with  8o/-  of  rent  and  one  water 
corn-mill.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  each  sister's 
share  included  a  water  mill,  thus  corresponding 
with  the  Domesday  Survey,  in  which  it  is  stated 
that  there  were  three  mills  in  the  Parish.  In 
an  undated  memorandum,  later  than  1799,  there 
are  said  to  have  been  two  water  mills  at  the  time. 
At  present  there  is  only  one.  The  question  of 
the  mills  will  be  further  discussed  in  the  Chapter 
on  the  Parish. 


126  MARTIN    TYCHBORNE. 

The  only  child  of  William  and  Margery  Rythe 
was  a  daughter,   Elizabeth,  who  married  as  his 
second  wife  Nicholas  Tycheborne  of  Tycheborne, 
County   Hants,    and  who  had  by  him   one  son, 
Martin  Tycheborne.     In  1556  she  was  a  widow 
and  her  father  and  mother  executed  a  deed  by 
which  their  moiety  of  the  Manor  of  Padworth  was, 
after  their  death,  settled  on  her  and  her  heirs. 
Padworth    Thirty    years    later    Margery    Rythe,    herself    a 
widow,  had  been  living  for  some  time  in  a  house 
belonging  to  her  grandson,  Martin  Tycheborne,  in 
Westisted,  not  far  from  the  family  estate   which 
had  now  been  inherited  by  his  elder  half-brother, 
Sir  Benjamin  Tycheborne.     Martin  had  it  seems 
been  dutifully  helpful  to  his  grandmother  in  the 
management  of  her  business  affairs  and,  in  grati- 
tude  for   his   services,    she,    conjointly   with   his 
mother   Elizabeth,  made   a   fresh   settlement,  by 
which  he  was  to  enjoy  the  Padworth  estates  during 
their  lives,   paying  them  a  yearly  rent  of  £10, 
and  was  afterwards  to  succeed  to  the  possession, 
which    was    secured    for    himself   and   his    heirs. 
The   wording   of   the   deed   deserves   notice.     In 
it  Margery  says  that  in  recompence  for  the  quiet 
abode    and   good    and   friendly    entertainment   that 
she  hath  had  and  hereafter  hopes  to   have  at  the 
hands  of  the  said  Martin  Tycheborne,  and  in  con- 
sideration of  the  paynes  and  travell  that  he  hath 
taken  in  the  busynes  and  afayres  of  the  said  Margery 
and    in    consideration    of    the    motherly    love    and 
natural  affection  that  the  said  Elizabeth  doth  beare 
towards  her  sonne and  for  his  advance- 
ment in  lyving  and  for  the  satisfaction  of  the  trust 
reposed  in  her  by  her  late  husband  Nicholas  Tyche- 
borne &c.,   the  two,   mother  and  daughter,  join 


THE    LITTLEFIELD    FAMILY.  127 

in  granting  to  him,  their  son  and  grandson,  on 
the  terms  mentioned  above  the  moiety  of  their 
Manor  of  Padworth. 

Martin   Tycheborne   died   in   1625,   leaving   no 

children,    and    his    half    brother,    Sir    Benjamin 

Tycheborne,  was  declared  to  be  his  heir  in  1629, 

Sale  of     ancj  he    together  with  his   wife,   Amphilis,   sold 

Estate,  1629. 

Feet  of  Fines,  that  part  of  the  Padworth  estates  which  had  been 

5  Chas.  I. 

the  share  of  Margery  Rythe  and  which  he  had  now 
inherited,  to  Sir  Humfry  Forster  of  Aldermaston 
for  £1,200. 

Thus  did  the  last  portion  of  the  Padworth 
estates  which  had  been  held  by  the  Cowdray 
family  and  their  descendants,  at  least  since  the 
time  of  Henry  III.,  pass  away  finally  into  other 
hands. 

THE     LITTLEFIELDS     OF     PADWORTH. 
John   Lytelf eld  =  Joan 
d-   1.557 


George  Littlefield= Alice         Robert=Jane 
d.   1603 


_ 

!  1 

George         Jane 


\  .  I 

William=  James,  Church  Warden 

|  of  Padworth  1607  &  1624 

I  ~T~  ~ 

George  Littlefield—  Elizabeth     James  =  Abigail     Amy     Alice 
living  1606  &  1626 
died  before  1640 


Adam  =  Jane  John  —  Elizabeth 

of  Elvetham, 
John  Co.  Hants 

living  1652  &  1664 

Littlefield  AS  will  have  been  seen  in  the  foregoing  pages, 
the  greater  part  of  the  Manor  of  Padworth  had  now 
become,  by  purchase,  the  property  of  one  George 
Littlefield,  (0  alias  Turner.  The  first  mention 
we  have  of  any  member  of  this  family  in  connection 

(i)    Also   spelt— Littlef eld,  Lyttelfyld,  Lyttylfyld. 


128  THE    LITTLEFIELD    FAMILY. 

with  the  Parish  is  that  already  quoted,  namely, 
that  a  lease  of  twenty-one  years  of  the  scite 
of  the  Manor  of  Padivorth  was,  in  1550,  granted 
jointly  by  Peter  and  Joan  Kidwelly  and  William 
and  Margery  Rythe  to  a  certain  John  Littlefield. 


somerset  jn  his  wiH?  dated  July  loth,  1557,  he  describes 
himself  as  Farmer  of  Padworth,  and  he  bequeathes 
his  soul  (in  the  usual  preamble)  not  only  to 
Almighty  God,  but  also  to  -our  blessyd  Lady  and 
all  the  blessed  Companye  of  Hevyn  and  he  desires 
that  his  body  should  be  buried  in  the  paryshe 
Churche  before  our  Lady's  Awter.  This  paragraph 
is  interesting  for  two  reasons.  The  year  1557 
was  the  last  of  Queen  Mary  Tudor's  reign,  who, 
it  will  be  remembered,  had  re-established  in 
England  the  Roman  faith  and  ritual,  after  it 
had  been  abolished  during  the  reign  of  her  brother 
Edward  VI.  Evidently  John  Littlefield  had 
accepted  this  reactionary  change  as  he  speaks 
of  our  lady's  altar  as  distinct  from  the  high  altar 
which  stood  at  the  East  end  of  the  Chancel 
and  to  which  he  further  on  makes  a  small  bequest. 
It  seems  probable  that  the  one  he  refers  to  stood 
in  the  narrow  space  on  the  North  side  of  the 
Chancel  arch,  corresponding  to  another  altar  to 
St.  Nicholas  in  the  same  position  on  the 
South  side.  In  confirmation  of  the  supposition 
that  it  was  there  that  John  Littlefield  wished  to 
be  buried,  it  may  be  added  that  some  ancient 
burying  vaults  are  still  existing  in  front  of  this 
spot. 

He  appointed  one  William  Lyttelfyld  dwelling 
at  Bradffyld  as  overseer  to  his  Will,  a  proof  that 
his  family  was  not  altogether  strange  to  the 
neighbourhood,  and  the  Will  is  witnessed  by  Sir 


THE    LITTLEFIELD    FAMILY.  I2Q 

John  Burshew,  parson  of  Padworth,  and  Sir 
William  Goodbody,  serving  priest,  also  by  Thomas 
Dawe  and  others.  John  Turner  alias  Lyttylfyld, 
as  he  is  called  in  the  proving  of  his  Will,  had  little 
to  leave  beyond  small  sums  to  each  of  his  ten 
children  and  the  lease  of  the  farme  of  Padworthe 
which  fell  to  two  of  his  sons,  George  and  Robert. 
His  son  George  must  have  increased  his  fortune 
considerably  before  he  could  have  had  the  means 
to  pay  even  the  low  prices  mentioned  for  the 
estates  he  purchased.  In  all,  the  two-thirds 
of  the  Manor  seems  to  have  cost  him  about  £420. 
Even  taking  into  consideration  the  much  greater 
purchasing  value  of  money  at  the  time,  and  also 
the  probable  depreciation  of  landed  property 
in  consequence  of  the  wholesale  confiscation  of 
the  monastic  estates,  this  seems  to  us  a  small 
price  to  be  paid  for  what  amounted  probably 
to  about  1,420  acres.  We  shall  see  later  on  that 
the  value  of  the  estate  he  bequeathed  to  his 
sons  and  grandsons  had  increased  enormously  in 
the  next  generation. 

Besides  what  he  bought  of  the  heirs  of  Peter 
Cowdray,  George  Littlefield  made,  at  different 
times,  small  purchases  of  land  when  opportunity 
occurred.  Of  one  John  Byflete,  in  1578,  he 
bought  certain  fields  in  Aldermaston  called  Nitin- 
gale  and  ffolliatts  lands,  and  these  he  settled  as  a 
marriage  portion  on  his  second  son  James,  and 
also  he  became  the  owner  of  detached  plots 
in  most  of  the  neighbouring  parishes — in  Sulham- 
stead,  Burfield,  Englefield  and  Woolhampton. 
Somerset  He  died  in  1603.  In  his  will  he  left  a  bequest  of 
3s  4d  for  the  maintenance  of  the  said  Parish,  and  to 
the  poor  of  Padworth  5d.  To  his  son  William 


130  THE    LITTLEFIELD    FAMILY. 

he  left  his  part  of  the  Mill  in  Padworth,  showing 
that  the  profits  from  one  of  the  mills  were  still 
shared  between  the  two  Manors.  Also  he  be- 
queathed to  his  son  the  orchardes  and  lands 
adjoining  a  mead  plot  above  "  Browne's  Poole  " 
and  an  acre  in  the  west  mead,  which,  as  is 
SeeJ.  shown  in  the  map  was  in  the  Kennet  Valley. 

Appendix.  * 

All  the  rest  of  his  property  he  left  to  his  wife 
Alice,  in  consideration  of  her  living  and  main- 
tenance of  housekeeping  and  good  bringing  up 
of  such  children  not  yet  provided  for,  as  God  hath 
sent  us.  She  did  not,  however,  long  bear  this 
sacred  charge,  for  she  died  about  three  months 
later  in  the  same  year,  leaving  her  sowle  into 
the  hands  of  the  Almighty  God,  my  onely  Creator 
Redeemer  and  Comforter  trusting  to  be  saved  in 
His  Heavenly  Kingdome  through  the  meritte  of 
His  bitter  passion  and  death  and  my  body  to  be 
comitted  unto  Xtian-maris  buriall,  in  my  parish 
church  or  churchyard  at  my  Executor's  discretion. 
Then,  after  small  bequests  to  the  Cathedral 
Church  at  Salisbury,  to  the  Parish  Church  and 
to  the  poor  of  Padworth,  she  leaves  the  main  part 
of  her  property,  which  she  does  not,  however, 
specify,  to  her  son  William  ;  to  her  son  James  she 
leaves  two  stears  ;  to  John  Willes  (probably  a 
son-in-law)  two  oxen  and  £10  to  helpe  rep  ay  re 
and  build  his  house  and  all  the  old  tymber  now 
lying  in  our  grounde ;  to  John  Wyse  a  Coult 
and  to  Margaret  my  best  gowne  and  peticote  with 
various  other  small  legacies  to  other  members  of 
her  family. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  quote  here  from  the  Will 
of   another   member   of   the    Littlefield   family- 
Robert  Littlefield,  alias  Turner,  younger  brother 
of  the  George  just  mentioned,  who  died  in  1577. 


THE   LITTLEFIELD    FAMILY. 

Appended  to  his  Will  is  an  inventory  of  all  the 
goods  and  chattels  belonging  to  him  at  the  time 
of  his  death ;  giving  an  interesting  idea  of  the 
property  held  in  those  days,  with  its  monetary 
value,  by  a  small  country  farmer.  He  leaves, 
after  the  usual  form,  my  soule  to  Allmightye  God 
my  Maker  and  Redeem1"  and  my  bodye  to  be  buryed 
in  the  Churcheyayrd  of  Padworthe.  To  his  son 
George  he  leaves  a  shepe  and  to  Jane  my  dogheter 
also  a  shepe,  and  all  the  rest  of  his  goods  to  Jane 
his  wife.  The  Will  is  duly  signed  and  witnessed 
and  then  follows  the  inventory  :— 

INVENTORY. 

Fyrst  ij  steares  of  iiij  yeares  aige  iiij£  v*- 

Item  a  mare  coolt       . .  . .  xxxs- 

„       two  Kyne  and  a  heehfer  . .  iiijS, 

„       two  bullocke       . .  .  .  xxxiij5-    iiijd 

„       foure  shepe  <§•  ij  lambes  . .  xiij5-    iiijd 

ij  calif es  . .  .  .  vjs-    viijd 

ij  hogges  shootes  .  .  . .  vij5- 

HOUSHOOLD   STUFFE. 

In  Primis  ij  Flocke  bedds  &  ij  bollsters          .  .  xd 

Item  iij  payre  of  shetes                 .  .                  . .  xd 

„       ij  coverlette         . .                  .  .                  .  .  vjs-     viijd 

„       a  cubbord           .  .                  . .                  .  .  iij5-     iiijd 

„       a  joyned  bedsteade                .  .                  .  .  iij5-    iiijd 

„       a  table  &  a  forme                  .  .            ...  xxd 

„       iij  cofers  and  a  chest            . .                  . .  vijd 

,,       a  joyned  stool  and  a  chayre                     .  .  xvjd 

,,       iij  paynted  clothes  (1)           . .                  . .  ijd 

,,       a  brasse  pott  6-  Kyttell  &  ii  skyllettes    . .  xd 

tubbs  bowles  &  other  lumber                    . .  Uijd 

iij  Candyllstycke                   . .                  . .  xvjd 

ij   platters    vj   pottingers    vij   sawcers    one 

eared  dysh                    .  .  vj3-  viijd 
a  brock  potthanger  gyrd  Iren  &'  Fryying 

pane       . .                      . .                  . .  ijs-      vjd 

a  axe  a  byll  a  shovyll  &•  other  tooles       . .  ijs-      vjd 

a  cullt  a  shayre  &  a  payre  of  plowewheles  iij5-     iijd 

iij  hens  ij  chyckyns  &  ij  geese                . .  xxd 

haye                   . .                  . .                  . .  xd 

(i)  perhaps  printed  calico. 


132  THE    LITTLEFIELD    FAMILY. 

Wooden  goods  and  live  stock  are  cheaper  in 
proportion  than  iron  goods,  which  is  as  one  might 
expect  before  the  extensive  use  of  coal  and 
machinery. 

George  Littlefield's  younger  son,  James,  the 
same  who  had  from  his  father  the  grant  of  land 
in  Aldermaston,  was  Churchwarden  at  Padworth 
in  1607.  He  also  must  have  had  some  money 
invested  in  London  for  on  one  occasion  he  styles 
himself  Citizen  and  woodmonger  of  London.  The 
elder  son  William  died  soon  after  his  father  and 
George  his  son  George  the  younger  succeeded  to  the 
the  younger,  possession  of  the  estates  accumulated  by  the 
grandfather  ;  he  also  succeeded  his  uncle  James 
as  Churchwarden  after  the  death  of  the  latter  in 
1624.  Beyond  friendly  agreements  with  Martin 
Tichborne  concerning  the  boundaries  of  their 
respective  shares  of  the  Manor  lands,  we  do  not 
hear  much  of  the  early  doings  of  George  the 
younger.  He  married  a  lady  of  the  name  of 
Elizabeth  who  may  have  brought  him  money 
as  her  name  is  always  mentioned  conjointly 
with  his  own  in  business  transactions.  He  lived 
through  the  troubled  times  of  the  Civil  Wars, 
though  no  word  or  hint  of  the  stirring  events 
of  those  days  occurs  in  any  of  the  documents 
concerning  the  estate,  which  have  surived. 
Probably  he  took  the  side  of  the  Parliament  as 
his  name  is  not  mentioned  among  such  of  his 
Royalist  neighbours  who  suffered  fines,  and  he 
lived  long  enough  to  reap  the  first  fruits  of  the 
prudent  investments  in  land  which  his  grand- 
father had  made,  for,  in  1655,  ne>  in  conjunction 

with  his  two  sons  Adarn  and  J°hn>  sold  to  Mr- 
Thomas  Brightwell,  Citizen  and  Bowyer  of  London, 


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THE    BRIGHTWELL    FAMILY.  133 

one  messuage  in  Padworth  with  gardens  and 
orchards  (probably  the  Manor  House  of  the 
Cowdrays)  with  174  acres  of  land  and  free  fishing 
in  the  river  Rennet — the  whole  for  the  sum  of 
£2,070. 

He  was  an  old  man  at  the  time  and  must  have 
died  soon  after  the  conclusion  of  this  very  profit- 
able bargain. 

In  the  same  year,  1655,  Thomas  Brightwell  also 
bought  of  one  Elizabeth  Stone,  with  the  consent  of 
Adam  Little  field,  the  Home  Farm  of  Padworth 
for  £1,000,  and,  in  1659,  Samuel  his  son  acquired 
Padworth  Mill  of  John  Littlefield  for  £515. 
Brightweii  Thomas  Brightwell  who  purchased  the  Padworth 
estates  was,  as  we  learn  from  his  Will,  born  at 
Chersley  in  Buckinghamshire  of  a  younger  branch 
of  the  family  of  that  name,  which  had  been 
settled  there  (according  to  Lipscombe's  History 
of  Bucks)  since  the  time  of  Henry  VII.  In 
it  he  left  a  sum  of  money  to  be  distributed  among 
the  poor  of  Chersley  at  the  discretion  of  his  cousin 
John  Brightwell,  the  head  of  the  family  and 
the  then  owner  of  the  property,  whose  name 
appears  in  the  Chersley  Register  as  Churchwarden 
of  the  parish  in  the  year  1652.  In  this  Will 
Thomas  Brightwell  also  mentions  that  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Company  of  Bowyers  (Bow- 
makers)  in  London  and  a  Governor  of  St.  Thomas' 
Hospital,  and  he  left  a  small  sum  of  money 
for  the  poor  in  St.  Mildred's,  Bread  Street  ; 
from  all  which  we  may  conclude  that,  like  many 
younger  members  of  County  families  then  and 
now,  he  had  settled  in  London,  and  had  there, 
no  doubt,  made  the  fortune  which  enabled  him, 
later  in  life,  to  buy  a  country  estate.  He  gives 


134  THOMAS    BRIGHTWELL. 

directions  concerning  a  gift  he  had  made  to  Pad- 
worth  Church,  namely,  a  silver  cupp  which  I 
lately  bought  and  a  silver  plate  with  my  coate  of 
Armes  thereon  engraven  for  to  be  used  att  the  Com- 
munion. But  it  is  my  will  that  it  bee  still  kept 
att  my  house  being  the  Mannor  House.  This  cup 
and  paten  are  still  preserved  and  the  former 
bears  round  the  base  the  inscription  :— 

The  gift  of  Thomas  Brightwell  Gent  to  the  Parish  of  Pad  worth 
1664. 

He  also  gave  by  his  will  £6  to  the  poor  of 
Padworth,  which  benefaction  is  recorded  on  the 
panels  of  the  Gallery  in  the  Church  (see  page  26), 
and  he  directs  that  forty  shillings  more  shall  be 
distributed  among  poor  people  at  my  funerall, 
either  in  bread  or  money. 

Another  small  bequest  may  be  referred  to, 
namely,  that  to  Mr.  Marmaduke  Goode,  Rector 
of  the  neighbouring  Parish  of  Ufton,  the  same 
who  was  suspended  from  his  benefice  during  the 
time  of  the  Commonwealth.  As  Mr.  Brightwell 
makes  no  mention  of  his  own  Rector,  the  idea 
suggests  itself  that  the  living  of  Padworth  may 
also  have  been  forcibly  vacated,  and  that  Mr. 
Goode,  to  whom  perhaps  he  had  given  hospitality, 
may,  in  return,  have  supplied  to  the  family  the 
ministrations  of  the  English  Church. 

Concerning  the  Church  plate,  that  of  earlier 
date  had  no  doubt  been  destroyed  during  the 
Civil  Wars.  We  must  conclude  by  his  gift  of 
a  chalice  and  paten  immediately  after  the  restora- 
tion of  Charles  II.  that  Thomas  Brightwell 
was  at  the  time  a  loyal  Churchman. 

Deeds,  however,  exist  to  show  that  he  had 
accepted  the  preceding  rule  of  the  Lord  Protector 


CHURCH    PLATE. 


THOMAS    BRIGHTWELL.  135 

for,  in  1654,  by  order  of  the  Council  he  was  granted 
estates  in  Ireland  in  common  with  other  Adven- 
turers— that  is,  investors — among  whom  the  lands 
of  the  conquered  native  owners  were  divided  by 
lot.  His  lot  fell  in  the  Barony  of  Decies  in  the 
County  of  Waterford.  By  another  Deed,  dated 
1667  after  the  restoration,  all  these  lands  which 
do  appear  to  have  been  seized  or  set  apart  by  reason 
of  the  late  horrid  rebellion  and  warr  which  broke 
out  in  the  Kingdom  of  Ireland  on  the  2?>rd  October 
1641  were  declared  to  be  thereby  forfeited  to  and 
invested  in  US  (that  is  the  King)  but  were  re- 
granted  to  the  said  Thomas  Brightwell  in  con- 
sideration of  the  yearly  rent  of  £22  145.  7jd. 
Like  a  prudent  man,  he  had  not  therefore  com- 
promised himself  altogether  with  either  party. 

To  revert  to  the  history  :  in  1656,  the  next  year 
succeeding  to  the  date  of  his  purchase  of  the 
estate,  Thomas  Brightwell  exercised  his  right  as 
Lord  of  the  Manor  and,  together  with  Sir  Humfry 
Forster,  who  then  held  a  third  of  the  Manor 
with  equal  rights,  he  summoned  a  Court  Baron. 
The"  following  are  copies  of  the  signatures  of 
Humphry  Forster,  Thomas  Brightwell  and  Anne 
his  wife. 


The    proceedings    of    this    Court    are    given    in 
the  chapter  on  the  Parish  page  167.     The  Court 


136  THOMAS    BRlGHTWELL. 

Roll  is  doubtless  the  one  referred  to  by  Thomas 
Brightwell's  son  Samuel,  in  a  note  written  some 
time  after  his  succession  to  the  lordship  on  his 
father's  death  in  1667.  It  is  as  follows  :— 

To  provide  that  Mr.  Perkins  neither  was  nor  is  lord  of 
the  Manor  of  Padworth,  nay  it  is  ridiculouse  for  him  or  any 
person  to  pretend  to  it  beside  Sir  Humphrey  fforster  and 
myself.  Sir  Humphrey  fforster  and  my  father  about  the 
yeare  1658  or  57  kept  a  Court  at  my  house  which  is  the 
Mannor  House  and  Mr.  Perkins  did  then  appeare  at  the 
Courte  as  freeholder  and  acknowledged  himself  to  hold  all 
the  land  he  held  in  Padworth  of  this  mannor  at  the  yearly 
rent  of  6s  8^  yearly  and  fealty  and  hath  constantly  paid 
the  said  rent  to  my  father  and  myself.  Witnesses 
Mr.  Wheeler  the  Tailor,  Mr.  Ildesley  of  Stoak, 
Mrs.  Ann  Perkins,  Brightwell  Holyman,  Mr.  John 
Harrison  Steward  of  the  Court  and  his  sons  John  and 
James  Harrison. 

Mr.  Perkins  was  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Ufton  and 
also  of  the  small  Manor  in  the  Parish  of  Padworth 
sometimes  known  as  Hussee's  Manor  (see  page 
no),  his  claim,  therefore,  was  not  as  "ridiculouse  " 
as  Mr.  Brightwell  asserted  it  to  be  ;  though, 
at  the  same  time,  it  was  probably  true  that  he 
did  also  rent  land  as  a  freeholder  on  the  Brightwell 
estate.  According  to  the  Court  Roll,  however, 
he  did  not  appear  on  that  occasion  to  pay  fealty. 
It  is  curious  that  the  entry  in  which  his  name 
and  holding  are  mentioned  has,  in  the  original 
parchment  of  this  document,  been  carefully 
scratched  out  with  some  sharp  instrument  so 
as  to  be  almost  though  not  quite  illegible. 

Mistress  Anne  Perkins  may  have  been  a  sister 
of  Francis  Perkins  who  died  unmarried  in  1678, 
though  if  so  why  she  signed  as  one  of  the  witnesses 
to  this  note  is  not  clear. 


THOMAS    BRIGHTWELL.  137 

On  the  back  of  the  same  page  Mr.  Brightwell 
again  complains  of  his  neighbour  ;  he  says  :— 

Mr.  Perkins  sued  my  father  about  the  year  59  to  find 

timber  for  padworth  Bridg  as  lord  of  ye  Manor  of  padworth 

and  my  father  had  a  decree  against  him  and  the  Bridg  land 

was  decreed  to  find  timber  and  workmanship  ever  since  as 

appears  by  a  lease  let  of  the  said  land  to  Thos.  Laurence  of 

the   parish.     Witnesses   hereto,    Mr.    King,    John   Arslet. 

John  Mills,  John  Smith  of  Beenham  and  John   Ward. 

The  bridge,  if  the  same  as  at  present,  is  on  the 

road  dividing  the  two  Padworth  Manors  and  may 

well,  therefore,  have  been  a  matter  of  dispute. 

Thomas  Brightwell  had  married  a  lady  named 
Anne  More  ;  an  extract  from  a  Court  Roll  of 
Silchester,  dated  1654,  shows  that  she  was  entitled 
to  some  property  in  that  parish,  which,  by  a  grant 
from  the  Lord  of  the  Manor,  Edmund  Dunch, 
was  then  settled  on  herself  for  life  with  a  remainder 
to  her  son  Samuel.  He  was  the  eldest  child 
and  only  son  of  a  large  family  of  daughters 
and  grandchildren  (see  table  of  the  Brightwell 
family).  One  of  the  latter  was,  at  the  time 
of  his  grandfather's  death,  in  East  India,  probably 
as  a  servant  of  the  not  long  established  East  Indian 
Company,  which  had  received  its  first  Charter 
from  Queen  Elizabeth  in  1600. 

Thomas  and  Anne  lie  buried  by  the  East  wall 
of  the  Apse  in  the  Chancel  of  Padworth  Church  ; 
there  is  no  sculptured  tombstone  to  mark  the  spot ; 
if  any  such  originally  existed  it  was  probably 
destroyed  when  the  foundations  were  laid  of  a 
larger  monument  to  their  descendants.  We  can 
identify  the  situation,  however,  by  the  inscription 
on  the  tombstone  of  their  son,  which  states  that 
he  was  buried  by  the  side  of  their  graves. 


138  SAMUEL    BRIGHTWELL. 

In  a  deed,  dated  1663,  Samuel  Brightwell 
recorded  the  conclusion  of  the  various  additional 
purchases  of  land  made  by  himself  in  his  father's 
lifetime  from  first  to  last  from  John  Littlefield, 
in  which  he  states  that  the  sums  he  had  paid 
him  amounted  to  £650.  Adding  this  to  the  moneys 
paid  by  his  father,  Thomas,  the  amount  realised 
directly  and  indirectly  by  the  Littlefield  family 
from  the  sales  would  come  to  about  £3,720.  After 
this  date  their  name  disappears  from  Padworth 
records. 

Samuel         Samuel,   who  called  himself  of  Lincoln's   Inn, 
Brightweii    succeeded    to    his    father's    estates    in    1667.     A 

copy  of  his  signature  is  here  given  :— 


He  had  married,  some  years  previously,  Susannah, 
niece  and  heiress  of  John  Loftus  of  Luteiton  in 
Northamptonshire,  and  she  brought  to  her  husband 
a  considerable  fortune.  A  relic  of  this  lady 
has  been  preserved  by  a  curious  chance  ;  a  small 
piece  of  paper  with  writing  was  found  wrapping 
up  the  seal  of  an  old  deed,  and  when  opened 
it  was  seen  to  be  a  letter  of  which  the  following 
is  a  transcript  :— 

Dearest  Heart 

I  hope  by  this  time  my  letter  may  greet  you  at  london  & 
likewise  the  box  &  bundlet  and  this  bundle  the  letter  to  mr 
Halom  was  sent  last  week  which  I  hope  came  to  his  hand 
nurs  has  here  sent  a  letter  which  you  must  subscribe  I  have 
likewise  sent  two  packthreads  the  tenth  for  two  white  swanskin- 
bayes  pety  coats  for  the  two  girls  Su  6-  Mary  which  I  pray 
buy  &  a  pdire  of  Scoch  pendants  for  me  I  have  sent  the 
silver  cup  to  change  for  another  if  you  buy  one  with  a  handle 


LOFTUS    BRIGHTWELL.  139 

buy  one  very  strong  :  thanks  be  to  God  we  are  all  here  very 
well  which  I  hope  you  are  to  soe  praying  God  our  happy 
meeting  I  rest  your  truly  loving 

wife 


padworth  november 
the  17  :  1667. 


0 


Samuel  and  Susannah  had  two  sons — Loftus, 
born  1661,  who  inherited  the  estates,  and  Thomas 
who  died  in  1722,  and  four  daughters — Susannah 
and  Mary  mentioned  in  their  mother's  letter, 
and  also  Elizabeth  and  Hannah.  Mary  and 
Hannah  died  unmarried,  Susannah  married  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Tooley,  and  Elizabeth  a  certain 
William  Matthews.  Samuel  Brightwell  died  in 
1679.  His  wife  Susannah  survived  him  32  years, 
Loftus  dying,  aged  81,  in  1712.  In  1681  Loftus  Brightwell 
took  his  place  as  Lord  of  the  Manor  and  summoned 
a  Court  Baron.  The  Court  Roll  has  not  been 
preserved,  but  the  formality  of  the  proceeding 
is  so  interesting  that  no  excuse  is  made  for  quoting 
here  the  text  of  the  summons  sent  out  on  this 
occasion.  It  begins:— 

Mannr  of  Padworth  in  Co  of  Berks. 
Giles  Hinton  Gent,  steward  to  Sir  Humfrcy  Forster 
Barr*  &  Loftus  Brightwell  Esqr  lords  of  the  sd  Mann1"  to 
the  Bayliffe  of  the  same,  Greeting.  You  are  hereby  required 
to  warne  the  Court  Baron  to  be  kept  for  the  said  Mannr  on 
Tuesday  the  2,5th  day  of  this  ins1  Oct.  by  seven  of  the  clock 
in  the  forenoon  of  the  same  at  the  Mannr  house  within  the 
said  Mannr. 

Given  under  my  hand  and,  seal  the  18th  day  of  Oct.  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  1681. 

Giles  Hinton 

Steward 


140  LOFTUS    BRIGHTWELL. 

A  copy  of  the  signature  of 


a 


is  here  given. 

In  1689  Loftus  Brightwell  married  Mary  Sayer, 
daughter  of  Henry  Sayer,  Esq.,  of  Hounslow, 
Middlesex,  and  grand-daughter  through  her  mother 
of  Francis  Styles  of  Missenden  in  Bucks.  We 
note  that  the  name  of  Styles  has  been  already 
connected  with  the  Brightwells,  Thomas  Bright- 
well's  eldest  daughter  having  married  into  that 
family.  There  are  several  monuments  to  members 
of  the  Styles  family  in  the  interesting  old  Church 
of  Little  Missenden,  and  a  .considerable  part 
of  that  Parish  still  belongs  to  the  owner  of 
Padworth.  A  cousin  and  co-heiress  of  Mary  Sayer 
married  the  so-called  Earl  of  Stirling.  The  title 
has  been  the  subject  of  several  Causes  Cdebres, 
The  first  Earl  was  created  by  James  I.  and  was 
granted  vast  possessions  in  Canada  but,  in  default 
of  direct  male  heirs,  the  earldom  had  become 
extinct  and  the  property  had  lapsed  to  the  Crown. 
Since  which,  as  none  of  the  many  claimants 
have  been  able  to  make  good  their  right,  the 
title  has  been  in  abeyance. 

At  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1711  Loftus  Brightwell 
erected  to  her  memory  the  imposing  monument 
which  till  lately  stood  at  the  East  end  of  the 
Chancel  of  Padworth  Church,  but  was  moved 
and  placed  against  the  West  wall  of  the  Nave 
when  the  Church  was  restored  in  1890  by  the 
consent  of  Arabella,  widow  of  Christopher  Darby 
Griffith 


LOFTUS    BRIGHTWELL.         . 

It  was  in  the  time  of  Loftus  Brightwell,  in  1716, 
that  short  canals  were  cut  in  the  valley  of  the 
Kennet  to  connect  the  windings  of  the  river 
and  to  make  it  available  for  barge  navigation, 
joining  it  to  the  Kennet  and  Avon  Canal  which 
starts  West  of  Newbury  to  Bristol.  For  the 
meadow  land  taken  up  for  this  purpose  Mr. 
Brightwell,  with  other  landowners,  received  com- 
pensation. 

The  addresses  of  some  letters  written  by  or  sent 
to  this  gentleman  which  have  been  preserved 
throw  some  light  on  the  postal  arrangements 
of  the  time.  One  written  to  his  father,  and  there- 
fore earlier  than  1679  is  addressed  :— 

These 
For  his  ever  honoured  father  Samuel 

Brightwell,  Esq. 
livying  at  Padworth.     with  care. 

L.B. 

(This  may  have  been  sent    by  a  private   hand). 
Another  of  later  date  written  by  his  niece,  Ann 
Tooly,    probably    some    time    during    the    year 
1737,  bears  the  superscription  :— 
To 

Loftus  Brightwell  Esq.  at 
Padworth  near  Reading  to 
be  left  at  Mr  Gorhams 
the  signe  of  the 
Hare  and  Hounds  near  eight 
mile  stone     Berks. 
The  letter  runs  as  follows  : — 

Aug.  2.     Kelmarsh. 
Hond  Uncle 

Mr  Tooly  having  been  lately  presented  to  one  of  the 
Coll  Rectories  in  Northamptonshire  without  any  application 
direct  or  indirect,  by  our  invaluable  Friend  Mr  Hanbury, 
and  having  well  nigh  exhausted  himself  of  ready  Cash  not 


142  THOMAS    TOOLY. 

only  by  the  expense  of  the  instruments  of  Presentation  and 
Institution  together  with  travelling  charges,  but  also  by 
squandering  away  an  unconscionable  deal  of  money  in  the 
purchase  of  musty  Books  (a  Murrain  take  the  Booksellers 
say  I)  but  being  bloated  with  Sacerdotal  pride  and  disdaining 
to  condescend  to  ask  any  petition  of  any  man  even  of  Thee 
0  Uncle  your  innate  Generosity  &  well  known  Goodness 
to  all  yr  Relations  emboldens  me  having  the  honour  to  be 
related  to  your  illustrious  family  to  address  myself  to  yr 
Worship  desiring  that  you  wd  let  us  have  ten  pounds  in 
part  of  fifteen  due  to  us  last  March  remitting  it  to  my  sister 
Molly  in  London  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  compound  for 
our  full  fruits  and  defray  the  charge  of  Induction  into  the 
living.  I  am  not  forgetting  my  love  to  my  fair  cousens. 

Yor  dutiful  niece 


Be  pleased  to  direct  for  me  at  Squire  Hanbury^s  house  at 
Kelmarsh  near  Harborough  in  Leicestershire.  By  ye 
Northampton  Bag. 

The  money  owing  was  no  doubt  the  interest  of 
Susannah  Tooly's  jointure. 

As  no  mention  is  made  in  the  letter  of  her 
mother,  one  must  suppose  that  she  had  died 
at  some  previous  date. 

We  learn  from  other  sources  that  Thomas 
Tooly  was  presented  to  the  Rectory  of  Kelmarsh 
in  Northamptonshire  by  Mr.  William  Hanbury  in 
1737.  He  had  been  a  fellow  of  St.  John's  College, 
Oxford,  and  had  shewn  himself  no  mean  proficient 
in  classical  literature  but  his  chronicler  goes  on 
to  say  that  his  irregularities  far  outweighed 
his  merits  ;  and  on  account  of  these,  as  it  must  be 
presumed,  he  was  expelled  from  his  College. (1) 
Yet  shortly  afterwards,  in  the  year  1721,  to  relieve 

(i)    History   of   Merchant   Taylors    School,    1814. 


THOMAS    TOOLY.  143 

him  from  the  poverty  he  had  fallen  into  owing  to 
heavy  losses  in  South  Sea  speculations  he  was 
admitted  to  Holy  Orders  and  later  on,  in  1728, 
ordained  Priest  by  Kenneth,  Bishop  of  Peter- 
borough. These  details  give  one  a  strange  insight 
into  the  Ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  period. 

He  was  the  author  of  several  learned  works 
on  classical  literature  and  also  some  light  poems, 
such  as  : — Homer  in  a  Nutshell  or  the  Iliad  of 
Homer  in  Immortal  Doggerel  by  Nickydamus, 
Nanny  Hammer,  F.E.,  London,  1717,  October. 
He  died  in  1758  and  is  buried  in  Kelmarsh  Church 
and  on  his  tombstone  is  the  inscription  :— 

HlC    REQUIESCAT 

THOMAS  TOOLY 

POETARUM    MlNORUM    MlNIMUS 

DECESSUS 
AMBULANDO 

Does  that  mean  that  he  died  out  walking  ? 

From  her  allusions  to  his  musty  books  his 
daughter  does  not  seem  to  have  shared  or 
appreciated  his  literary  tastes. 

Letters  had  been  carried  by  a  state  post  since 
the  time  of  Charles  I.  ;  both  this  letter  and  the 
earlier  one  to  Samuel  Brightwell  were  committed 
to  the  care  of  post-boys  on  horse-back  who, 
with  stoppages,  did  not  travel  faster  than  three 
or  four  miles  an  hour,  leaving  the  letters  as  they 
went  at  post  houses  on  the  main  roads,  where  they 
also  probably  changed  horses  or  were  relieved 
by  other  boys.  The  extreme  insecurity  of  such 
a  plan  is  evident,  especially  in  the  days  of  high- 
waymen and  wandering  soldiers  as  in  the  time 
of  the  Civil  Wars. 

Loftus  Brightwell  died  in  1738  ;  he  had  two 
sons  but  both  had  died  before  him — the  eldest 
Samuel  as  an  infant,  and  the  second,  Thomas, 


144  RICHARD    CHICHELEY. 

as  a  most  promising  young  man  of  sixteen. 
His  four  daughters,  therefore,  Mary,  Susannah, 
Anne  and  Elizabeth  became  co-heiresses.  Mary, 
the  eldest,  had  married  as  his  second  wife  Chris- 
Gr[ffithPthhee  toPher  Griffith  of  Winterbourne  in  Gloucestershire  ; 
eider.  g]^  died  m  j^g  anc[  js  buried  in  the  Chancel  of 
the  Parish  Church ;  her  husband  died  in  1765 
and  is  also  buried  at  Winterbourne.  They  left 
one  son,  also  Christopher,  of  whom  more  hereafter. 
Susannah  died  unmarried  in  1735. 

Anne,  the  third  daughter,  had  married  Richard 
Chicheley,  a  fellow  of  All  Souls  College  and  a 
descendant  of  the  brother  of  the  founder  of  the 
College,  Archbishop  Chicheley,  who  played  so 
distinguished  a  part  as  Minister  under  Henry  V. 
during  his  master's  absence  in  France,  and  was 
the  founder  also  of  St.  Bernard's  College,  after- 
wards suppressed  by  Henry  VIII.  He  died  in 
1443,  and  is  buried  in  Canterbury  Cathedral, 
where  his  monument  is  kept  in  repair  to  this  day 
by  the  Warden  and  Fellows  of  All  Souls. 

Richard  Chicheley  died  in  1738  having  made  a 
bequest  to  his  widow,  Mrs.  Anne  Chicheley,  of 
certain  pictures  and  embroideries  of  which  a 
list  in  her  own  handwriting  has  been  preserved. 

The  pictures  enumerated  include  a  portrait  of 
Archbishop  Chicheley,  subsequently  bequeathed 
by  Mrs.  Catherine  Griffith  to  All  Souls'  College, 
Oxford,  also  another  portrait  of  the  same  in 
glass,  now  fixed  in  one  of  the  windows  of  the 
Lower  Lodge  of  Padworth  Park,  also  a  portrait 
of  Archbishop  Wake.  This  Ecclesiastic  was  born 
in  Dorsetshire  in  1657.  He  was  appointed  to 
the  Rectory  of  St.  James',  Westminster,  in  1693  ; 
made  Bishop  of  Lincoln  in  1705,  and  promoted 


PORTRAIT    OF    ARCHBISHOP    CHICHELEY    IN    GLASS. 


ANN    CHICHELEY.  145 

to  the  Archbishopric  of  Canterbury  1716.  He 
died  1737.  This  picture  can  be  identified  by 
the  costume — the  short  wig  of  the  period  and  the 
lawn  sleeves — not  so  that  of  his  wife  mentioned 
in  the  list,  no  indication  of  her  personality  being 
discoverable  among  the  portraits.  The  same 
remark  applies  to  the  other  pictures  named. 
There  are  said  to  have  been  two  portraits  of 
Richard  Chicheley  himself,  and  one  of  his  wife, 
the  writer  of  the  list,  portraits  of  his  grandfather 
and  grandmother,  his  father  and  mother,  two 
(one  large  and  one  small)  of  his  sister  Mrs.  Plowden, 
one  of  another  sister  Mrs.  Hughes,  his  aunt 
Lady  St.  George,  his  uncle  Lee  and  two  other 
uncles,  these  last  are  described  as  small  pictures 
of  heads  only  and  can  be  recognised.  For  the 
rest  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that,  as  is  only 
too  commonly  the  case  in  such  interesting  collec- 
tions, no  record  exists  either  on  the  canvases 
or  in  writing  by  which  the  likenesses  can  be 
identified.  The  dates  of  those  mentioned  in  the 
list  would  probably  range  from  1650  to  1735. 

As  to  the  embroideries,  though  not  in  any  way 
described,  it  seems  probable  that  they  are  the 
beautiful  needlework  tapestries  representing  sacred 
and  allegorical  subjects,  mounted  on  a  couch  and 
some  sets  of  Chippendale  chairs,  which  form  part 
of  the  present  furniture  of  the  house. 

Anne  Chicheley  died  in  1740  leaving  an  infant 
daughter,  also  Anne,  who  inherited  her  mother's 
share  of  the  Padworth  property  and  that  of  her 
Aunt  Susannah. 

In  due  time  she  married  her  cousin,  Christopher 
Griffith,  the  son  of  Mary  Brightwell,  thus  uniting 
the  shares  of  three  of  the  sister  co-heiresses. 


146  CHRISTOPHER   GRIFFITH. 

She  died  when  only  twenty,  leaving  one  son, 
also  Christopher  ;  the  boy  is  said  to  have  been 
accidentally  drowned  when  only  ten  years  old 
in  1767.  Elizabeth  Brightwell,  who  never  married, 
was  now  the  only  remaining  survivor  of  the  family. 
She  is  remembered  in  the  parish  by  the  endowment 
of  £200  joint  stock  in  the  old  South  Sea  annuities 
which  was  to  produce  the  sum  of  £6  per  annum 
to  be  applied  for  teaching  poor  boys  to  read, 
write,  and  cast  accouts  &  for  teaching  poor  girls 
to  read,  write,  knit  &  sew.  The  schoolhouse  Master 
or  Mistress  to  be  nominated  &  appointed  by  the 
Churchwardens  of  this  parish  with  the  approbation 
of  the  heirs  &  assigns  of  Christopher  Griffith  &  the 
said  Elizabeth  Brightwell.  Their  signatures  are 
here  copied. 

<OX7 


If  the  fund  from  which  the  income  was  to  be 
paid  was  invested  in  what  is  commonly  known 
as  the  South  Sea  Bubble — a  fraudulent  speculation 
which  burst  in  1720  and  ruined  many  thousands 
of  people — Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brightwell  must  have 
known  of  its  loss,  and  perhaps  she  made  it  good 
from  some  other  source,  for  a  small  endowment 
representing  her  gift  is  enjoyed  by  the  existing 
school. (1) 

(i)  See  Page  28. 


CHRISTOPHER   GRIFFITH. 
M.P.  for  Berkshire. 


MRS.    CATHERINE    GRIFFITH. 


CHRISTOPHER   GRIFFITH.  147 

She  died  at  Bath  in  1765  but  was  buried, 
according  to  her  own  desire,  in  the  same  vault 
in  Padworth  Church  where  her  brother  Thomas 
and  her  sisters  Susannah,  and  Anne  Chicheley 
were  interred,  and,  as  is  recorded  of  her  in  the 
Parish  Register,  she  was  the  last  surviving  member 
of  her  family  in  the  place. 
Griffith  Mr.  Christopher  Griffith,  who  had  married  her 

Family. 

niece  Anne,  inherited  her  property,  and  now  held 
the  shares  of  all  the  four  sisters  re-united.  He 
represented  Berkshire  in  Parliament  about  1769, 
and  seems  to  have  been  a  good  and  beneficent 
landlord.  In  1759  he  married  a  second  time, 
Catherine,  the  daughter  of  Sir  William  St.  Quintin, 
fourth  Baronet  of  Scampston  in  Yorkshire,  and 
of  Rebecca,  his  wife,  daughter  of  Sir  John 
Thompson,  Knt-  Lord  Mayor  of  London  in 
1737.  It  was  during  their  married  life,  in  1769, 
that  great  alterations  and  embellishments  were 
made  in  Padworth  House.  It  was  much  enlarged 
and  the  hall  and  staircase  received  some  extremely 
graceful  stucco  decorations  executed  in  the  style 
of  the  brothers  Adam.  The  designs  are  still 
preserved. 

At  Mr.  Christopher  Griffith's  death  in  1776  he 
bequeathed  his  estates  to  his  widow  who  survived 
him  twenty-six  years  ;  and  she,  having  no  children 
of  her  own  and  knowing  no  one  of  her  husband's 
family  who  had  any  claim  upon  it,  left  the  property 
to  her  own  nephew,  the  second  son  of  her  sister 
Mary  St.  Quintin,  who^had ^married  Admiral 
Darby  of  Newtown  House  near  Newbury,  on 
the  condition  that  he  should  take  the  name  of 
Griffith  in  addition  to  his  own.  By  another 
clause  in  her  Will,  she  bequeathed  the  picture  of 


148  GENERAL  MATTHEW  CHITTY  DARBY  GRIFFITH. 

Archbishop  Chicheley  &  the  salt  cellar  that  he 
used,  to  the  College  of  All  Souls,  Oxford,  which 
he  was  the  founder  of,  and  to  whose  family  my 
dear  husband's  first  wife  was  related.  These  objects 
are  still  preserved  at  the  College.  She  died  in 
1801. 

Griffith         General  Matthew  Chitty  Darby  Griffith,  Mrs. 

Family.  Catherine  Griffith's  nephew,  had  a  distinguished 
military  career.  He  served  in  the  Regiment  of  the 
First  or  Grenadier  Guards  for  a  period  of  thirty 
years  and  took  part  in  the  expedition  to  Holland 
under  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  and  afterwards  under 
the  Duke  of  York,  a  campaign  which  was  an 
episode  in  the  long  Continental  War  carried  on 
by  England  against  Napoleon. 

In  1809  he  was  present,  and  lost  his  leg  at  the 
Battle  of  Corunna  in  Spain,  where  Sir  John  Moore, 
having  accomplished  a  retreat  under  immense 
difficulties,  finally  held  in  check  the  pursuing 
French  army  long  enough  to  enable  his  own  troops 
to  embark,  but  was  killed  at  the  moment  when  a 
decisive  victory  was  just  within  his  grasp. 

General  Darby  Griffith  died  at  Padworth  in 
1823  leaving  three  sons  and  one  daughter — Chris- 
topher who  inherited  Padworth,  and  was  Member 
of  Parliament  for  Devizes  and  married  Arabella 
Colston  of  Roundway  Park,  Henry,  who  com- 
manded the  Scots  Greys  in  the  Crimea  and  died 
a  Major  General,  George  who  became  a  Major  in 
the  army  and  died  in  1846,  and  Isabella  who 
married  Captain  Knox,  R.N.,  and  died  1892. 


XX111. 


MATTHEW    CHITTY    DARBY    GRIFFITH. 


CHAPTER  V. 
THE   PARISH. 

size.  The  Parish  of  Padworth  in  the  County  of  Berks 

and  the  Hundred  of  Theale  at  present  contains 
1,211  acres  and  454  roods.  It  is  bounded  on 
Limits,  the  East  by  the  stream  called  Shooter's  Brook 
which  divides  it  from  Ufton  ;  on  the  South,  by 
a  line  between  Padworth  Common  and  Burnt 
Common,  the  boundary  passing  South  of  the 
hamlet  known  as  Round  Oak  and  meeting  that 
of  Ufton  at  the  cross  roads  at  the  corner  of  Ufton 
Park  enclosure.  On  the  West,  by  Padworth 
Gully  which  separates  it  from  Aldermaston. 
On  the  North  side  the  line  of  demarcation  is  very 
complicated,  but,  roughly  speaking  it  may  be 
said  to  coincide  with  the  high  road  running 
between  Reading  and  Newbury,  which  is  also 
the  great  road  leading  Westward  from  London, 
commonly  known  as  the  Bath  Road. 

Bath  Road.  Parish  boundaries  are  very  ancient,  dating 
from  long  before  the  Norman  Conquest,  and  the 
fact  that  in  this  instance,  the  limits  of  the  Parish 
appear  to  have  been  fixed  by  the  line  of  the 
roadway,  suggests  that  the  road  itself  is  at 
least  of  equal  antiquity.  We  know  however,  that 
it  is  not  Roman.  There  was  no  place  of  impor- 
tance in  Roman  times  on  the  site  of  the  present 
town  of  Reading.  Silchester  was  then  the  centre 
of  the  road  system  of  the  district.  But  as  soon 
as  Reading  came  into  existence,  probably  as 
early  as  871,  we  may  belive  that  a  public  highway 
was  established  for  communication  Westward, 
and  that  it  has  always  approximately  followed 
the  present  line. 


150  THE    PARISH. 


Soil.  fiie  sojj  Of  ftie  Parish  is  gravelly,  except  on  the 

ground  sloping  towards  the  river  (including  the 
Churchyard)  and  in  the  gullies  where  the  under 
soil  of  London  clay  has  been  uncovered,  and  in 
the  flat  river  meadows  which  are  composed 
of  alluvial  deposit.  The  population  has  increased 
within  the  last  century,  as  we  learn  from  a  note 
made  in  the  Parish  Register  book  dated  1801. 
It  is  as  follows  :— 

An  account  of  the  Inhabited  Houses  of 
Persons  in  Padworth,  taken  the  22nd  of 
February,  1801,  as  directed  by  an  Act  of 
Parliament  for  the  ascertaining  the  Population 
of  Great  Britain  .  - 

Houses     14         Men         70         Boys        50 
Cottages  30         Women    67         Girls        33 

44  137  83 

-  83 


220 


The  Census  taken  at  intervals  of  ten  years  from 
1851  records  the  Population  of  Padworth  as 
follows  : — In  1851,  280  ;  in  1861,  286  ;  in  1871, 
273  ;  in  1881,  268  ;  in  1891,  277,  and  in  1901,  235. 
It  should  be  noted  that  this  last  diminution 
of  the  number  of  inhabitants  is  less  in  reality 
than  in  appearance,  because  at  the  date  of  the 
taking  of  the  Census  both  the  Rectory  and  the 
Manor  House  were  accidentally  unoccupied. 
There  are  19  houses  and  43  cottages  now  standing 
in  1911.  The  industrial  occupations  of  the  people 
of  Padworth  are  more  varied  than  is  often  the 
case  in  so  small  a  parish.  The  Great  Western 


JOHN   LAWRENCE  (died   1909  in  his  gist  year). 


ANN    WHEELER  (died   1904  aged  80  years). 


THE    PARISH.  151 

Railway  employs  a  certain  number,  and  the 
Brewery  and  a  Flour  Mill  have  also  their  workmen. 
There  was  till  lately  the  rod-stripping  connected 
with  the  osier  beds  in  the  Kennet  Valley,  at  which 
women  as  well  as  men  were  glad  to  work,  but 
foreign  competition  has  destroyed  the  trade. 
Three  farms — the  Home  Farm  or  Hatch  Farm, 
Lodge  Farm  and  Old  Farm  (the  latter  in  the  Ufton 
Estate) — employ  carters,  shepherds  and  cowmen 
as  well  as  field  labourers.  There  is  a  forge  on  the 
hill,  a  baker  and  grocer's  shop  on  the  Common 
and  a  general  shop  in  the  valley,  while  a  certain 
number  of  the  cottagers,  beside  being  day 
labourers,  used  to  keep  cows  and  poultry  in  order 
to  sell  their  produce.  But  this  is  now  less  common 
than  formerly  as  the  labourers  so  often  migrate 
yearly  from  one  parish  to  another,  being  engaged 
only  from  one  Michaelmas  to  the  next  by  the 
farmers,  instead  of  living  on  the  property,  of  the 
Lord  of  the  Manor,  as  formerly,  for  succeeding 
Pad  worth  generations.  About  one-fifth  of  the  area  of  the 
Parish  on  its  Southern  side  consists  of  what  in 
olden  times  was  described  as  Heath  Lands,  covered 
with  turf,  heather  and  gorse,  and  dotted  with 
occasional  clumps  of  fir  trees,  said  to  correspond 
in  number  with  the  letters  composing  the  name 
of  the  Parish.  One  of  these,  occupying  a  tri- 
angular plot  between  three  roads,  was  known, 
perhaps  on  account  of  its  shape,  as  the  A.  Clump. 
Standing  on  the  highest  ground  in  the  district 
and  being  composed  of  well  grown  trees,  this 
clump  was  a  landmark  for  many  miles  round  both 
from  the  North  and  South.  It  was  unfortunately 
almost  completely  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  summer 
of  1906.  Running  North  of  this  tract  across  the 


152  THE    PARISH. 

borders  of  the  cultivated  land  there  stretches 
an  ancient  line  of  fortifications,  which  dates 
at  least  from  British  times  if  not  earlier. 
It  begins  in  Ufton  Parish  near  the  Church,  and 
going  Westward  through  Padworth  terminates 
in  Aldermaston  Park  ;  there  is  however,  a  gap 
in  it,  immediately  South  of  the  field  belonging 
to  Padworth  Rectory,  but  whether  this  gap  is 
original  or  whether  the  ground  has  here  been 
levelled  in  recent  times,  it  is  now  impossible  to 
say.  The  whole  consists  of  a  fosse  and  bank, 
the  bank  being  on  the  Southern  side,  and  on  that 
account  the  idea  has  arisen  that  we  have  here  an 
outer  line  of  defence  connected  with  the  ancient 
British  Settlement  called  Calleva  Atrebati,  the 
site  later  on,  occupied  by  the  Romans  and  now 
known  as  Silchester,  which  is  situated  about 
three  miles  further  South.  Another  idea  founded 
on  the  name  Grimmer1  s  Bank  by  which  the 
fosse  and  bank  are  known,  is  that  this  should  be 
Kymrie's  Bank,  and  that  it  was  the  boundary 
on  the  South  of  the  territory  of  the  ancient 
British  tribe  of  that  name.  Yet  another  sugges- 
tion is  that  the  name  is  derived  from  an  old 
Saxon  word  Grim,  meaning  Giant,  and  was  given 
by  superstitious  folk  of  mediaeval  times  who 
attributed  the  work  to  supernatural  agency  ; 
where  the  learned  differ  no  positive  opinion  on 
the  matter  will  be  hazarded  here.  Many  old  earth 
works  are  found  elsewhere  of  the  same  name. 

Close  to  the  limits  of  the  Parish  on  this  side  is 
an  establishment  of  some  interest,  and  although 
it  is  not  actually  within  the  boundary  we  hope 
we  may  be  excused  if  we  give  some  account  of 
it  here.  It  is  known  as  the  Congregational 


THE    PARISH.  153 

Church  and  School  of  Mortimer  West  End,  in 
chapel.  which  Parish  it  is  actually  situated.  A  Centenary 
account  of  it  was  written  in  1898  by  the  Rev. 
W.  H.  Summers,  from  which  the  following  facts 
are  quoted  :— 

"  The  district  known  generally  as  Mortimer  Common  was, 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  i8th  century,  not  much  cared  for  by 
the  Spiritual  Pastors  of  the  parishes  into  which  it  was  divided. 
The  zeal  of  many  had  waxed  cold  and  the  religious  life  in  the 
Established  Church  was  admittedly  at  a  very  low  ebb.  In  1778 
a  young  man,  John  Whitburn,  employed  as  a  turf  cutter  on  the 
common,  living  in  a  cottage  almost  on  the  site  of  the  present 
chapel,  was  converted  by  the  preaching  of  a  Tadley  minister, 
Mr.  (afterwards  Dr.)  Duncan,  and  feeling  a  deep  concern  for  the 
salvation  of  his  neighbours  and  being  blessed  with  good  natural 
abilities  and  great  Grace,  he  began  to  expound  and  pray  on 
Sunday  evenings  in  his  own  home  and  was  made  useful  to  many." 

At  last  the  congregations  became  too  large  for 
his  small  cottage  rooms,  and  a  Mr.  John  Mulford 
of  Tadley  then  came  forward  with  offers  of  assis- 
tance. He  was  a  rich  man  of  humble,  perhaps 
Gypsy  descent  and  when  asked  about  his  family 
he  is  reported  to  have  said  My  arms  are  three 
moles  and  a  molehill  and  my  great  ancestor  was 
molecatcher  to  William  the  Conqueror.  John  Whit- 
burn giving  the  land,  this  Mr.  Mulford  erected 
a  chapel  close  to  the  turf-cutter's  cottage  in  the 
year  1798.  Several  bricks  bearing  this  date 
may  still  be  seen  over  the  window  facing  the 
road.  John  Whitburn  died  in  December,  1803, 
and  his  is  the  first  burial  recorded  in  the  Chapel 
Register  as  taking  place  in  the  adjoining  burying 
ground.  An  itinerant  preacher,  Mr.  Pennell, 
next  served  the  Chapel,  being  allowed  from  the 
funds  of  the  Evangelical  Society  £10  for  the 
purchase  of  a  horse  for  his  ministerial  journeys 
and  £10  for  its  keep. 


154  THE    PARISH. 

On  the  15th  of  January,  1818,  the  little  band 
of  the  faithful  met  in  the  Chapel  by  Mr.  Fennell' s 
request  and  organised  themselves  into  a  distinct 
Christian  Church  or  Communion  of  Saints,  of 
which  Christ  is  the  only  Head.  They  were  then 
attached  to  the  Evangelical  Society,  but  that 
Society  being  dissolved  in  1826,  the  trustees  of 
the  Chapel  handed  it  over  to  the  Countess  of 
Huntingdon's  Connection  or  Society,  whose 
property  it  still  remains. 

Centenary  Services  of  the  Mortimer  West  End 
Chapel  were  held  on  Wednesday,  June  22nd, 
1898,  and  were  largely  attended.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Rowland,  Chairman  of  the  Congregational 
Union  of  England  and  Wales,  presided  on  the 
occasion, 
waste  lands  The  tract  of  land  on  the  borders  of  which  this 

or  Common. 

Chapel  stands,  which  has  been  described  above 
as  heathland,  is  generally  known  a"S  Padworth 
Common  ;  and  the  name  may  perhaps,  give 
rise  to  some  confusion  of  ideas  concerning  it 
and  the  lands  lying  in  the  flat  river  valley  which 
were  formerly  called  common  meadows  and 
common  fields.  In  point  of  fact  they  differ  very 
much  from  each  other  in  history  as  well  as  in 
character.  The  tract  called  Padworth  Common 
has  never,  so  far  as  we  know,  been  cultivated, 
the  soil  being  so  poor  as  to  make  it  not  worth 
while.  It  should  be  more  correctly  described 
as  waste  land  belonging  to  the  Lord  of  the  Manor, 
though  an  Act  of  Parliament  passed  for  the 
enclosure  of  the  Common  Fields  of  Padworth 
in  1811,  states  that  this  land  is  not  to  be  enclosed. 
Nevertheless,  the  freehold  rights  over  it  have  never 
been  alienated  from  the  Lord  of  the  Manor,  but 


XXV. 


* 


THE    PARISH.  155 

from  early  times  his  tenants  and  retainers  have 
been  allowed  with  his  permission  to  graze  their 
horses  and  cattle  there  as  part  of  their  pay. 
These  men  have  been,  in  consequence,  called 
Commoners.  Portions  of  the  Manor  have  at 
various  times  been  sold,  the  ownership  of  the 
waste  lands  has  become  split  up  among  other 
freeholders,  and  the  area  of  the  so-called  common 
much  diminished.  Another  cause  tending  to 
restrict  the  grazing  ground  has  been  the  spread 
of  self-sown  fir  trees  which  now  cover  a  large 
part  of  the  open  land. 

Within  the  last  fifty  years,  according  to  a  note 
in  a  Parish  book,  the  turf  of  the  common  was  cut 
for  fuel  by  the  poorer  inhabitants  of  the  cottages 
in  the  vicinity,  but  that  this  could  only  be  done 
by  the  permission  of  the  Lord  of  the  Manor,  seems 
implied  by  an  entry  in  a  Court  Roll  dated  1656 
which  states  That  Seba  George  widow  hath  cutt 
and  carried  away  great  quantityes  of  furzes  on  the 
wast  and  common  of  this  Manor  for  which  they 
amerced  (fined)  her  twelve  pence  and  doe  order 
that  neither  she  nor  any  other  doe  cutt  any  more 
furzes  on  any  part  of  this  manor  without  the  lords 
leave  on  pain  of  tenn  shillings  for  every  time. 
(See  page  168). 

The  accompanying  illustration  shows  probably 
the  last  remaining  of  the  old  cottages  that  once 
stood  round  the  borders  of  the  Common,  but  which 
have  now  for  the  most  part  been  replaced  by 
more  comfortable  though  less  picturesque  brick 
dwellings.  It  stands  a  little  way  back  from  the 
road  opposite  Hatch  Farm.  This  name  preserves 
the  memory  of  the  gate  or  hatch  which  once 
crossed  the  road  at  the  entrance  of  the  Common 


156  THE   PARISH. 

close  by,  such  a  gate  as  those  that  still  close  the 
roads  leading  into  Bucklebury  Common.  A  little 
off  the  Common  and  North  of  the  place  where  the 
hatch  stood  was  a  double  cottage  belonging  to 
Mr.  Benyon  of  Englefield,  part  of  which  was  at  one 
time  used  to  accommodate  the  village  school, 
which  owed  its  endowment  to  the  benefaction 
of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brightwell  (see  page  26). 
No  school-house  appears  to  have  been  provided 
by  her  before  this  house  was  used  for  the  purpose  ; 
the  children  were  taught,  the  boys  and  girls 
separately,  in  their  teacher's  cottages.  Opposite 
and  still  further  South  was  the  old  house  of  the 
Faulkner  family  whose  names  are  found  con- 
tinually recurring  in  the  Parish  records  from 
1679  to  the  present  day.  The  house  is  shown 
in  all  the  old  maps  of  the  district,  but  it  was  burnt 
down  about  100  years  ago  and  never  rebuilt. 

Turning  down  a  lane  which  leads  South  of  the 
Common  a  little  to  the  East  of  the  A.  Clump, 
there  is  a  spring  whose  waters  in  former  days 
had  a  great  reputation  and  were  even  sold  as 
being  good  for  the  eyes.  It  was  called  the 
Acrevita  spring  (aquavitae)  ;  it  is  curious  that 
the  same  name  is  given  to  a  copse  on  the  Western 
side  of  the  Parish  close  to  the  boundary  between 
Padworth  and  Aldermaston. 

Returning  to  the  Common  ;  in  a  cottage  near 
its  Eastern  limits*  (now  much  altered  and  enlarged) 
there  died  about  fifty  years  ago  an  old  man, 
Sam  Doe,  a  former  gardener  at  the  Manor  House, 
who  remembered  seeing  the  funeral  of  the  last 
Squire  Perkins  of  Ufton  in  1769.  Of  the  same 
family  .was  one  George  Loftus  Doe,  a  man  with 
a  remarkable  career  ;  after  a  wild  youth  spent 


THE    PARISH.  157 

in   his   native   village   he   ran   away   to   London 
and  there  by  good  luck,  added  to  natural  intelli- 
gence, he  rose  in  the  world  till  he  was  given  an 
appointment  as  Queen's  Messenger,  this  he  held 
for  two  years.     He  died  aged  63  in  1875,  and  on 
his  tombstone  in  the  Churchyard,  after  the  record 
of  his  name  and  history,   is  added  a  quotation 
from  the  Proverbs   (with  a  variation)   A   man's 
gift  (of  mind)  maketh  room  for  him  and  bringeth 
him  before  great  men.     But  wisdom  is  better  than 
rubies  and  all  things  that  may  be  desired  are  not 
to  be  compared  to  it.     Near  Sam  Doe's  cottage 
on   the   Common  there  lived  another  old  man, 
one  Austin  Stroud,  who  was  known  and  much 
regarded    and    consulted    by    his    neighbours    as 
the   cunning   man,    that   is,    one   who   could   tell 
fortunes  and  find  out  hidden  things,  while  another 
of  his  qualifications  was  to  remove  the  spells  of 
witchcraft.     A  little  further  East  and  close  to  the 
old  inn  called  The  Round  Oak,  no  doubt  on  account 
of  some  fine  old  tree  now  no  longer  standing, 
was    a   row  of   one-storeyed  cottages  withdrawn 
a  little  from  the  road  and  having  all  the  appearance 
of  almshouses  ;  although  no  record  exists  of  any 
endowment  in  connection  with  them,  they  seem, 
however,    to    have    been    occasionally    occupied 
by  aged  poor,  as  entries  are  found  in  the  Parish 
books  of  rent  having  been  paid  for  them  out  of 
the  rates.     A   common  well  stands  in  front  of 
them :    the    middle    cottages   were   pulled    down 
recently  and  the  two  end  houses  turned  into  a 
stable  and  a  wash-house.    Roughly  scratched  on  a 
brick  near  the  last  doorway  West  may  be  seen 
T.E.  1765.     On  the  small  green  in  front  of  these 
buildings   once   stood   the   village    stocks,    those 


158  THE    PARISH. 

terrors  to  evil  doers  in  the  days  of  our  forefathers, 
when  rough  and  ready  justice  was  wont  to  be 
administered  by  the  local  magnates  and  magis- 
trates. The  pound  for  stray  animals  was  at 
the  corner  of  the  Common  opposite  Hatch  Farm, 
a  site  still  known  as  Pound  Green. 

Before  leaving  these  waste  lands  mention  must 
be  made  of  a  rabbit  warren  which  was  the  subject 
of  a  quaintly-worded  lease  granted  by  Samuel 
Brightwell  to  one  Humfry  Marsh  of  Aldermaston 
in  1663.  It  is  here  called  Cunny  Burr  owes, 
cunny  being  the  same  as  the  conies  in  our  version 
of  the  Psalms,  and  is  said  to  be  contained  in  that 
part  of  Oxenheath  in  the  Parish  of  Padworth  called 
by  the  name  of  Padworth  Warren.  The  lease  was 
to  be  for  seven  years  and  during  that  term  a 
yearly  rent  was  to  be  paid  of  twenty  and  five 
cupples  of  large  good  and  sweet  cunnies  weekly  or 
otherwise  when  and  as  often  as  the  said  Samuel 
Brightwell  shall  havz  occasion  for  them  and  shall 
demand  them  at  his  now  dwelling  house  and  the  said 
Humfry  Marsh  shall  begin  to  make  payment  of  so 
many  cunnies  as  the  said  Samuel  Brightwell  shall 
have  occasion  for  every  year  during  the  said  terme 
between  Midsomer  and  Candlemas  and  shall  deliver 
from  time  to  time  the  said  rent  of  cunnies  at  the 
dwelling  house  of  the  said  Samuel  Brightwell 
s  tuate  in  Padworth.  Which  conditions  may  be 
taken  to  mean  that  the  number  of  rabbits  were 
to  be  supplied  yearly  to  the  Lord  of  the  Manor 
in  such  quantities  as  he  should  require,  weekly  or 
otherwise.  In  addition  it  is  stipulated  that  at 
the  end  of  the  term,  the  tenant  should  give  up  the 
burrowes  in  good  order  and  well  stocked  with  at 
least  two  dozen  cunnies,  to  remain  as  the  property 
of  the  landlord. 


THE    PARISH.  159 

The  mention  of  Oxenheath  is  interesting  in  this 
connection  as  it  enables  us  to  identify  the  name 
with  the  grass  slope  of  land  falling  away  towards 
Aldermaston  opposite  Hatch  Farm,  which  is  still 
known  as  the  Warren  and  is  still  the  haunt  of 
rabbits.  This  name  occurs  also  in  an  ancient  Deed 
dated  1595,  an  Agreement  between  George  Little- 
field  and  Martin  Ticheborne,  fixing  the  boundary  of 
their  respective  shares  of  the  waste  or  heath  lands. 
It  will  be  remembered  that,  at  that  date,  George 
Littlefield  held  two-thirds  of  the  Manor  of  Pad- 
worth,  by  purchase  from  the  heirs  of  Peter  Cow- 
dray,  and  Martin  Ticheborne  held  the  other  third 
by  inheritance  (see  page  127).  A  second  Deed, 
dated  1619,  confirmed  the  partition  then  made 
with  a  specification  of  the  common  heath  known 
by  the  name  of  Oxenheath,  of  which  a  full  and  even 
half  with  all  the  cottages  situate  thereupon  which 
butteth  and  extendeth  towards  the  east  was  appor- 
tioned to  George  Littlefield  and  the  other  full  and 
even  halfe  towards  the  West  was  to  be  the  share 
of  Martin  Ticheborne. 

The  boundaries  of  the  common  waste  lands 
towards  the  South,  where  the  Parish  of  Stratfield 
Mortimer  joins  that  of  Padworth,  were  described 
in  a  document  dated  June  4th,  1802,  by  a  Com- 
mission appointed  for  the  purpose,  who  determined 
the  division  as  follows  : — Beginning  at  the  north  east 
corner  of  an  old  enclosure  of  John  Whitborn  and 
extending  eastward  by  certain  Boundary  Balls  of 
earth  said  to  be  thrown  up  by  the  parishioners  of 
Stratfield  Mortimer,  leaving  Padworth  Common 
on  the  north  side  and  then  in  the  reputed  course  of 
the  said  Boundary  to  the  Fences  of  old  enclosures, 
and  that,  we  have  marked  out  and  staked  out  accord- 


160  THE    PARISH. 

ingly.  With  the  lapse  of  time  which  has  ob- 
literated alike  the  memory  of  John  Whitborn 
and  the  balls  of  earth  thrown  up  by  the  people 
of  Mortimer,  it  cannot  now  be  said  that  this 
recorded  division  adds  much  to  our  knowledge 
of  the  boundary  line. 

The  common  fields  and  meadows  of  Padworth 
as  distinguished  from  the  common  or  waste 
lands  above  described  were  situated  in  the  most 
productive  part  of  the  Parish  on  the  river  flats. 
As  divided  by  the  river  or  by  old  roads  they  were 
known  as  Wharf  Field,  Mill  Field,  Padworth 
Field  and,  at  the  extreme  East,  Dunston  Field  ; 
and  nearer  the  river  Aldermaston  Mead,  partly  in 
Aldermaston  Parish,  West  Mead  and  East  Mead, 
while  to  the  West,  detached  from  the  Parish 
boundaries,  was  Barfield  or  Lye  Furlong  belonging 
to  the  lord  of  the  Manor  of  Bucklebury. 

These  were  not  common  fields  in  the  sense  of 
being  common  to  all  the  Parish,  but  rather  that 
the  few  who  had  the  right  to  hold  them,  did  so 
in  common.  Till  the  beginning  of  the  last  century 
about  574  acres  of  these  common  fields  in  the 
combined  Parishes  of  Padworth  and  Beenham, 
were  held  by  only  twelve  people,  the  freeholders 
and  landowners  in  the  two  Parishes.  For  mutual 
convenience  these  two  contiguous  Parishes  had 
intercommoned,  that  is,  the  common  fields  of 
both  were  thrown  together. 

The  system  by  which  they  were  held  was 
a  very  ancient  one  ;  the  Normans  found  it 
in  force  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest,  and  it 
is  possible  that  it  dates  from  even  earlier  than 
Saxon  times.  Its  object  was  that  all  the  land- 
owners of  the  Parish  should  share  alike,  none 


THE    PARISH.  l6l 

having  any  advantage  of  soil  or  situation  over 
his  neighbour  ;  and  for  this  purpose  the  whole 
tract  was  divided  into  meadow  land  for  grazing 
and  hay  and  arable  fields.  In  the  meadow  lands 
each  landholder  had  the  right  of  grazing  a  certain 
number  of  cattle,  horses  and  sheep  (commonable 
animals  they  were  called),  not  pigs,  donkeys  or 
geese,  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  his  holding  in 
the  Parish,  from  after  the  hay  harvest  till  the 
ensuing  spring  when  they  were  turned  off  to  allow 
the  grass  to  grow  for  the  hay  crop,  and  this  when 
cut  was  divided  by  lot  among  the  same  parish- 
ioners. On  this  account  the  meadows  were  some- 
times called  lot-meadows.  The  arable  fields  were 
apportioned  on  a  different  plan.  Though  unen- 
closed, they  were  divided  by  banks  (called  in 
Berkshire  mere-ridges),  into  parallel  strips  about  a 
furlong  in  length  and  a  rood  in  width,  four  of 
which  went  to  an  acre,  while  along  the  head  of 
each  series  of  strips  there  ran  a  broad  band  of 
turf  on  which  the  plough  was  turned.  These 
strips  were  allotted  in  rotation  to  the  Commoners, 
but  no  one  could  hold  his  strips  continuously 
together,  to  however  many  he  might  be  entitled. 
They  were  apportioned  singly  to  all  the  holders  in 
their  order,  so  that  a  man's  entire  holding  might 
be  scattered  all  over  the  common  field,  and  every 
year  all  the  holdings  were  allotted  afresh  in  a 
prearranged  order,  each  man  exchanging  his  strip 
with  someone  else.  There  was  preserved  at 
Sulhamstead  an  old  lotting  book,  as  it  is  called,  in 
which  the  order  of  rotation  for  that  Parish  is 
written  down  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  as  it  is  expressed  at  the  heading  of  the  book, 
each  lot  returns  and  is  the  same  as  it  was  five  years 


l62  THE    PARISH. 

before  and  so  continues  changing  for  ever.  The 
book  is  dated  1778,  and  in  less  than  30  years  from 
that  time  the  whole  system  in  that  Parish  had  come 
to  an  end. 

It  is  needless  to  dwell  upon  the  inconveniences 
of  such  a  system.  The  absence  of  fences  led  to 
continual  injuries  to  the  crops  in  the  fields  from 
the  intrusion  of  animals  grazing  in  the  meadows  ; 
the  labour  of  each  holder  was  most  unnecessarily 
increased,  as  he  had  to  convey  his  plough  and  team 
from  one  strip  to  another,  and  his  interest  in  the 
improvement  of  the  soil  was  lessened  by  the  fact 
that  the  same  plot  was  never  for  two  years  together 
in  his  hands  ;  and  lastly,  quarrels  and  litigation 
were  the  natural  and  frequent  consequence  of 
such  a  mixture  of  rights.  To  this  last  evil  the 
existing  records,  both  of  Beenham  and  Padworth, 
bear  ample  witness. 

The  following  note  is  found  in  the  Beenham 
Parish  Register  Book,  its  probable  date  being 
1650  : — There  is  one  Acre  that  Lyeth  in  Ufton 
field,  next  to  an  Acre  of  Thomas  Aldridge  on  the 
west  side.  It  is  Mr.  Perkins'  land,  which  whole 
piece  is  5  Acres  ;  the  meadow  banke  is  plowed  up 
which  did  separate  Padworth  Tyth  Acre  from  the 
other  four.  It  concerns  that  which  Padworth  clayms 
for  an  Acre  to  the  ffarm  is  more  than  a  fifth  part. 
Measure  it. 

In  Padworth  itself  one  subject  of  dispute  was 
as  to  the  right  claimed  by  the  Lord  of  the  Manor 
to  fix  what  day  he  pleased  between  Lammas  and 
Michaelmas  for  opening  or,  as  it  was  called, 
breaking  the  meadows  when  the  Commoners' animals 
were  allowed  to  be  put  in  for  pasture.  The  other 
Commoners,  especially  Mr.  Perkins  of  Ufton, 


THE    PARISH.  163 

maintained  that  they  had  the  right  to  be  consulted, 
and  on  one  occasion,  about  the  year  1670,  Mr. 
James  Hyde,  Mr.  Perkins'  father-in-law,  being 
tenant  to  Mr.  Perkins  in  Padworth,  did  goe  about  to 
contradict  Mr.  Bright-well  and  that  he  should  not 
breake  without  his  consent  and  chained  up  the 
meadow  gate  ....  then  Mr.  Brightwell  had  the 
chain  got  off  in  the  sight  and  presence  of  Mr.  Hyde 
and  pounded  Mr.  Hyde's  cattell  for  putting  them 
into  the  mead  and  have  ever  since  broake  it  without 
consulting  any  one.  The  special  advantage  of 
this  right  of  fixing  the  time  for  breaking  the 
meadow  seems  to  have  been  that  the  Lord  could 
put  in  his  own  animals  a  day  or  so  in  advance 
of  the  other  Commoners,  and  thus  have  the  benefit 
of  the  fresh  untrodden  fodder.  //,  as  it  was 
explained,  Mr.  Brightwell  should  be  constrained 
to  ask  leave  of  every  Commoner  before  he  could 
appoint  a  day  to  breake  he  would  never  breake 
before  Mich,  (and  could)  only  put  in  his  cattell  2 
or  3  minutes  before  any  other  Commoner,  and  it 
would  not  be  worth  while  to  send  two  miles  about 
for  such  a  privilege  and  not  zd.  more  advantage  to 
him  than  to  others. 

Mr.  Brightwell  himself  protested  /  can  prove 
that  for  60  years  I  and  my  predecessors  have  only 
given  notice  in  the  church  of  the  time  of  breaking 
the  meadow  ....  Yet  Mr.  Perkins  chained  up 
the  gate  and  watched  it  with  five  or  six  men  and 
pounded  Mr.  Brightw ell's  cattell. 

But  the  working  of  the  system  can  be  best 
understood  by  a  study  of  the  Court  Rolls  of  the 
time.  These  documents  have  been  alluded  to 
in  a  previous  chapter  (page  123)  two  of  them, 
preserved  among  the  deeds  of  the  Manor  House, 


164  THE    PARISH. 

are  here,  with  Major  Darby  Griffiths'  kind  per- 
mission transcribed  in  full. 

The  earliest  is  the  Roll  of  a  Manor  Court 
held  by  Peter  Cowdray  in  1524  ;  the  original  is 
in  Latin  and  the  following  is  a  translation  of 
this  interesting  record  of  the  way  in  which  an 
English  Country  Estate  was  managed  four 
hundred  years  ago. 

The  word  Essoins  means  Excuses  sent  for  non- 
attendance.     Those  said  to  be  in  mercy  on  account 
of  default  were  fined,  the  sums  to  be  paid  by  each 
being  written  above  their  names.     Though  free 
tenants,  that  is,  owing  no  service  or  rent  for  the 
land  they  held  of  their  Lord,  they  did  owe  fealty 
and  obedience  to  his  summons  to  attend  his  Court. 
PADWORTH.     The  Court  of  Peter  Cowdray  held  at  the 
same  place  the  4th  day  of  December  in  the  year  of 
the  reign  of  King  Henry  8th  fifteenth  (1524). 
ESSOINS.     None. 


HOMAGE. 


John  Combe  &  swore 
Rob1  Carter  &  swore 
Will,,  Hastlett  &  swore 


Richd       Shonke      & 

swore 
Willm  Combe  &  swore 


3d  3d 

The  Jury  present  that  Wm.  Ilsley  John  Aischepull.  Thomas 

3d  4d  4d  4d. 

Perkons  John  Cordrey  Richd  Carter  Thomas  Malke 
are  free  tenants  and  owe  suit  of  Court  and  have 
made  default  therefore  they  are  in  mercy  severally. 
THE  HOMAGE  present  at  this  Court  that  Thomas  Carter 
free  tenant  died  since  last  Court  when  there  arises 
to  the  lord  for  relief  8s  gd  and  a  horse  at  the  price 
of  263  8d  and  they  say  that  Rich.  Carter  is  son  and 
heir  and  is  of  full  age  and  nobody  came  here  in  Court 
to  claim  the  afored  tenement  therefore  order  was 
made  to  seize  the  afored  land  into  the  Lord's  hand. 
At  this  Court  the  homage  present  that  Edmund  who 
held  of  the  lord  a  free  messuage  and  a  virgate  of 
land  with  appurt5  in  Engulfeld  died  since  last 


THE    PARISH.  165 

Court  when  there  arises  to  the  lord  for  relief  21  d 
and  by  way  of  heriot  an  ox  of  the  price  of  135  4d 
and  they  say  that  John  Cordrey  is  son  and  next 
heir  to  the  afored  Edmund  and  of  full  age  and 
nobody  came  here  in  Court  to  claim  the  afore'1 
land  therefore  order  was  made  to  seize  the  afored 
tenement  into  the  Lord's  hand. 

THE  HOMAGE  present  that  the  tenants  of  Benam  that 
is  to  say  Beatrice  Syms,  Richd  Wylkyns,  Peter 
Combe  are  common  trespassers  in  the  common 
field  called  Ingulfeld  with  their  sheep  from  the 
Feast  of  St.  Martin  until  -  -  therefore  they 

are  in  the  Lord's  mercy  severally  I2d. 

THE  HOMAGE  present  that  John  Knote  has  not  scoured 
his  ditch  called  Water  course  from  Tetemore  to  the 
place  called  Le  weir  and  order  was  given  to  the 
sd  John  to  mend  and  scour  it  before  the  feast  - 
under  pain  of  6s  8d. 

Also  they  present  that  John  Knottes  has  not  scoured 
his  water  course  from  Pydmas  Croft  to  Ingmede  to 
the  damage  of  the  farmers  therefore  order  was 
made  to  him  to  scour  the  afored  ditch  before  the 
Feast  of  the  Annunciation  of  St.  Mary  under  pain 
of  35  4d. 

Also  a  Penalty  was  imposed  on  John  Combe  to  scour 
his  ditch  from  Le  Yewtree  beyond  the  King's 
highway  before  the  Feast  of  the  Purification  of 
St  Mary  under  pain  of  35  4d. 

Also  the  Homage  present  that  Robt.  Carter  has  not 
scoured  his  ditch  from  Pydmans  Croft  to  Streeam 
Dyche  therefore  order  was  given  him  to  mend  and 
scour  the  afored  ditch  before  Easter  under  pain  of 
6s  8d. 

Also  order  was  given  to  the  homage  to  enquire  by  the 
Rector's  road  from  the  Rectory  to  his  wood  whether 
it  be  in  fit  condition  before  the  next  Court. 

John  Combe. 
Affeerers  of  the  Court 

Richd  Carter. 


l66  THE    PARISH. 

In  the  evidence  given  respecting  the  death  of 
Thomas  Carter  it  is  said  that  8s  gd  is  due  to  the 
Lord  for  relief  and  also  a  horse  worth  265  8d. 
This  refers  to  what  we  should  now  call  the  death 
duties  which  were  a  condition  of  most  leases 
in  feudal  times  ;  some  sum  of  money  agreed  upon 
and  also  some  animal,  a  horse  or  ox,  &c.,  according 
to  the  wealth  of  the  tenant — the  best  horse  in  his 
stable  as  it  is  often  expressed — these  claims  were 
called  the  Lord's  heriot. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  that  sanitary  matters 
were  not  altogether  neglected,  even  at  this  time, 
and  that  each  tenant  was  expected  to  keep  the 
watercourse  or  ditch  which  passed  through  his 
land  well  scoured  and  clean,  for  his  neighbours' 
sake  as  well  as  his  own,  and  was  fined  if  he  did 
not  do  so.  The  Rector's  road  leading  to  his 
wood  may  refer  to  some  track  at  that  time  leading 
to  the  wood  still  known  as  Parson's  Copse  in 
Padworth  Gully  now  no  longer  belonging  to  the 
Rectory.  Affeerers  of  the  Court  were  the  men 
appointed  to  assess  the  fines  due. 

We  notice  the  democratic  character  of  the 
village  rule  ;  a  Jury  of  the  tenants  themselves 
attend  these  Courts  and  it  is  by  men  of  the  same 
class  and  not  by  the  Lord  that  the  amount  of  the 
fines  due  is  fixed. 

The  other  Court  Roll  to  which  we  can  refer 
is  dated  a  hundred  years  later  in  1656  ;  the  Court 
being  held  under  the  Lordship  of  Thomas  Bright- 
well  conjointly  with  Sir  Humphry  Forster,  the 
latter  in  right  of  his  ownership  of  one- third  of 
Padworth  Manor.  It  is  written  in  English  as 
follows  : — 


THE    PARISH. 


167 


The  Mannor 

of  Padworth 

in  the  County 

of  Berks. 


The  Homage. 


THE  COURT  BARON  of  Sir  Humfrey  fforster  Barronett 
and  Thomas  Brightwell  Gent  holden  on  Wednesday 
the  eight  and  twentieth  day  of  May  in  the  yeare  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  six  hundred  fifty  and  six 
by  John  Harison  Esq'  Steward  there 

THOMAS  KENDRICK  gent  essoined  (i) 
Thomas  Holes      "j    John  Ward          j 
Steven  Sims          r  Samuel  Napper         sworne. 
William  House     j    George  Arlett       ) 

The   Homage   present   uppon  their  oathes  as   followeth 

THAT  John  Lord  Marques  of  Winchester  holds  freely  of 
this  Mannor  one  acre  of  meadow  in  farly  Butts  by 
fealty  and  suit  of  Court  and  did  not  appeare  nor 
was  essoined  and  was  therefore  amerced  (2)  sixpence. 

THAT  Richard  Hildesley  gent  holds  freely  of  this  Manor 
one  yard  and  a  half  by  the  yearly  rent  of  twenty 
pence  fealty  and  Suit  of  Court  and  whither  he  ought 
to  pay  relief  or  hariot  they  know  not  and  did  not 
appeare  att  this  Court  nor  was  essoined  and  was 
therefore  amerced  6d. 

THAT  Henry  Englefield  gent  holds  freely  of  this  Manor 
one  yard  land  in  the  possession  of  John  Webb  by 
the  yearly  rent  of  twelve  shillings  and  three  capons 
and  by  fealty  and  suit  of  Court  and  what  other 
services  they  know  not  and  did  not  appeare  att  this 
Court  nor  was  essoined  and  was  therefore  amerced 
6d. 

THAT  John gent  holds  freely  of  this  Manor  and 

did  not  appeare  att  this  Court  nor  was  essoined  and 
was  therefore  amerced  sixpence. 

THAT  fferdinando  Clark  holds  freely  of  this  Manor  and 
did  not  appeare  att  this  Court  nor  was  essoined  and 
was  therefore  amerced  sixpence. 

THAT  John  Broughton  gent  holds  freely  of  this  Manor 
and  did  not  appeare  att  this  Court  nor  was  essoined 
and  was  therefore  amerced  six  pence. 

THAT  ffrancis  Perkins  Esqr  did  not  appeare  att  this 
Court  and  that  he  holds  freely  nine  yard  land  or 
thereabouts  of  this  Manor  at  the  yearly  rent  of 
six  shillings  and  eight  pence  fealty  and  Suit  of 
Court. 

(i)  sent  excuse.  (2)  fined. 


l68  THE    PARISH. 

y  STEVEN  Sims  and     Appeared  and  acknowledged  them- 

coppy.  WILLIAM  House       selves  to  hold  severally  by  Coppy  of 

Court     Roll    lease    of    Sir    Humfry 
fforster. 

THOMAS  Holes  a  lease  holder  of  Padworth  farme  and 
other  lands  of  Sr  Humfry  forster  by  the  yearly 
rent  of  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds. 

Cottagers  to  Sir  j  GEORGE  Arlett    )  (and  half  an  acre    (  T  h 

Humfry  forster    ALICE  Gune          fa  cortagejand  half  an  acre    l 
att  will         (THOMAS  Napperj  (and  a  rood  of  land 


SAMUEL  Napper 
Edward  Morley 
Cottagers  att  j  John  Ward 
will    to    Mr. <(  Nicholas  A vord 
Brightwell      ]  Mary  Kimble 

Michael  Taler  (?) 
\William  Worting 


J  tenants  Sr- 

(Humfry  foster  and  paid  every  of  them 
one  peny  to  him  by  way  of  attornment 
in  open  Court 


a  cottage  and 


one  acre  and  a  half  f  ^i          ,, 

rm<^  a^fA  i     _.  -     J 


one  acre 
half  an  acre 
two  acres 
half  an  acre 
one  acre 


did   sev- 


erall 


y 


attorne 
to  M  r. 
Bright- 
J  well  and 

(paid  every  of  them  one  peny  to  him 

by  way  of  attornment 


Day  is  given  to  inquire  if  Sr.  William  Wollascot  esqr  and 
John  Littlefield  doe  hold  of  this  Manor. 

THE  SAID  Homage  doe  present  upon  their  oathes  that 
Hugh  Hain  hath  incroached  five  lugg  in  length  and 
two  lugg  in  bredth  on  Mr.  BrightwelTs  part  of  the 
Mannor  of  Padworth  near  unto  the  said  Hugh 
Hain's  dwelling  house  and  hath  built  a  Barne 
thereon,  order  him  to  remove  the  said  Barne  or  agree 
with  the  Lord  before  Michs  next  on  pain  of  forty 
shillings. 

AND  THAT  Seba  George  widow  hath  cutt  and  carried 
away  great  quantityes  of  furzes  on  the  wast  and 
comon  of  this  Manor  for  which  they  amerced  her 
twelve  pence  and  doe  order  that  neither  shee  nor 
any  other  doe  cutt  any  more  furzes  on  any  part  of 
this  Manor  without  the  Lord's  leave  on  pain  of  tenn 
shillings  for  every  time. 

AND  THAT  the  midle  of  the  lane  leading  upp  to  Padworth 
hatch  is  part  of  the  bounds  between  the  two  Lords 
and  that  the  west  syde  belongs  to  Sir  Humfry 
fforster  and  the  east  syde  to  Mr.  Brightwell. 


THE    PARISH.  169 

THE  BOWNDS  and  extint  of  the  whole  Manor  and  Parish 
of  Padworth  beginning  from  Samuel  Napper's  house 
goes  through  Hugh  Hain's  ground  neer  Gregories 
house  to  rownde  oake  and  thence  along  the  broad 
way  neer  Perces  house  right  against  the  house  and 
then  a  long  the  ditch  to  little  bank  and  to  bounds 
oake  pitt  then  over  the  gutter  straight  to  Martins 
orchard  and  soe  to  Steven  Smith  his  ground  then  a 
long  the  hedge  that  divides  Aldermaston  from 
Padworth  to  Aldermaston  mead  ditch  and  thence 
to  John  Litlefields  ditch  to  the  Kenet  then  over 
Mr.  Hildesleyes  bridge  and  then  includeing  one 
land  over  the  way  to  Carters  Cross  thence  to  long 
hedge  and  a  long  the  ridge  to  Burrough  hill  and 
thence  a  long  sumer  hedge  and  thence  to  Mr.  Carters 
severall  grounds  and  thence  a  long  his  grownds  to 
Coster  lane  and  thence  to  the  ridge  way  and  thence 
to  Ufton  gravell  pitt  and  thence  to  Roger  Burts 
house  and  thence  to  the  Kennett  and  a  long  the 
Kennett  to  Mr.  Charles  Clarke  grounds  and  then  over 
the  Kennet  to  Calve  Lease  and  thence  under  the 
hedge  through  the  middle  of  Tetmore  and  thence  to 
Normer  Coppice  and  then  a  long  the  gutter  in  the 
Park  to  Brunts  stile  and  soe  a  long  Silvers  hedge 
to  the  land  then  over  the  lane  in  John  Astletts 
grounds  and  then  a  long  Richard  mcas  his  hedge  to 
Thomas  Eldridges  hedge  and  then  a  long  the  lane 
to  Samuell  Nappers  hedge  corner  where  the  bownds 
beganne. 

ORDERS  and  bylawes  made  att  the  said  Court  by  all  the 
tenants  then  present  in  the  presence  and  with  the 
consent  of  both  the  Lords  of  the  said  Manor  and  of 
francis  Perkins  Esquire. 

THAT  none  suffer  any  of  their  cattell  to  feed  or  continue 
in  any  of  the  lanes  of  this  Manner  but  doe  drive 

them  into for  every 

beast  taken  in  any  lane  of  this  Manner. 

THAT  the  hatch  gate  next  the  heath  be  new  made  by 
Sr  Humfry  forster  and  the  railes  by  Mr.  Brightwell 
within  one  moneth  according  to  custome  And  that 
the  lower  gate  be  maintained  by  Mr.  Brightwell  and 
the  railes  by  Sr  Humfry  forster. 


I7O  THE    PARISH. 

THAT  none  suffer  any  sheep  to  feed  in  Padworth  eastmead 
on  pain  of  sixpence  for  every  sheep  for  every  time. 

THAT  none  suffer  any  pigg  or  hogg  to  be  ringed  in 
any  Comon  of  this  Manner  on  pain  of  fower  pence 
a  piece. 

THAT  none  surcharge  the  comon  on  pain  of  sixpence  a 
beast  or  horse  for  every  time  nor  lett  any  comon  to 
any  that  dwells  out  of  this  Parish  if  any  dwelling 
within  the  Parish  will  give  asmuch  on  pain  of  five 
shillings  for  every  time. 

THAT  no  beasts  or  horses  goe  in  any  Comon  mead  of 
this  Mannor  without  the  knowen  towne  mark  on 
pain  of  sixpence  a  beast. 

THAT  every  one  doe  raile  his  part  of  the  Churchyard  as 
they  have  auncienlly  used  to  do  before  the  first  of 
August  next  on  pain  of  tenn  shillings  a  peece. 

THAT  Padworth  westmead  be  kept  inclosed  yearely  from 
the  first  day  of  March  untill  the  first  day  of  October 
and  every  one  to  pay  his  part  for  the  inclosing 
according  to  his  proportion  of  land  on  pain  of  tenn 
shillings  a  peece. 

THAT  Richard  Tull  doe  make  a  sufficient  bownd  betweene 
mead  lands  and  the  westmead  before  the  first  day 
of  November  next  on  pain  of  twenty  shillings. 

That  the  Steward  take  care  that  the  orders  of  this  Court 
be  carefully  kept  and  shall  have  yearely  eight  pence 
for  every  yard  land  within  this  Parish  and  one  peny 
for  pownding  of  every  parishioner  and  two  pence 
for  every  out  parishioner  and  Samuell  Napper  is 
chosen  and  sworne  Steward. 

John  Harison. 

This  document  is  endorsed  at  a  later  date  and 
in  a  different  hand,  probably  by  Samuel  Bright- 
well,  as  follows  :— 

The  Co1  roll  for  ye  year  1656  2oth  May 

Be  showed  as  evidence  &  my  rent  books  from  time  to  time 
will  prove  the  receipts  of  my  quit  rents  &  Mr.  Little- 
fields  sonnes  can  likewise  prove  them  6-  Sr.  Benjamins 
Ruddierts  deed. 


THE    PARISH. 

The  Lord  Marquess  of  Winchester  who  was 
fined  6d.  for  non-attendance  was  owner  of  Engle- 
field  in  right  of  his  wife  the  heiress  of  the  statesman 
Walsingham  to  whom  Queen  Elizabeth  had  granted 
the  property.  It  was  the  same  Marquess  whose 
gallant  defence  of  Basing  House  is  well  known. 
He  died  and  was  buried  at  Englefield  where  a 
monument,  with  an  inscription  to  his  memory 
by  the  poet  Dryden,  may  be  seen  in  the  Church. 
He  was,  apparently,  a  freeholder  of  some  small 
piece  of  land  within  the  Lordship  of  Padworth. 
Richard  Hildesley  held  estates  in  Beenham,  and 
Henry  Englefield  was  of  the  family  dispossessed 
of  the  Manor  of  Englefield  by  Queen  Elizabeth 
for  having  joined  in  a  conspiracy  in  favour  of 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  but  who  still  retained  a 
dwelling  house  and  some  land  in  the  Parish. 
Francis  Perkins  was  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Ufton 
nad  also  of  Hussees'  Manor  in  Padworth.  The 
boimds  of  the  Parish  as  set  forth  are  interesting 
but  would  be  more  intelligible  if  the  houses  were 
not  invariably  alluded  to  by  the  names  of  their 
then  occupants.  The  orders  and  byelawes  refer 
mostly  to  the  common  fields. 

As  early  as  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  it  had 
begun  to  be  realised  that  this  system  of  farming  in 
common  was  no  longer  consistent  with  the  best 
methods  of  agriculture  ;  and  from  that  time 
onwards  the  Common  fields  began  to  be  converted 
into  individually  owned  enclosures.  Enclosures 
were  constantly  advocated  by  XVIIth  Century 
writers  on  agriculture,  who  by  that  time  were 
able  to  cite  successful  precedents  for  the  practice. 
Bills  for  private  enclosures  came  thick  and  fast 
during  the  reign  of  George  II.,  but  it  was  not  till 


THE    PARISH. 

1801  that  the  first  Public  Enclosure  Act  was 
passed.  This  provided  a  sort  of  code  to  regulate 
enclosures  and  facilitate  the  mode  of  proof  usually 
required  on  the  passing  of  such  Acts.  The  same 
may  be  said  in  general  of  the  later  Public  Enclosure 
Acts.  Private  Bills,  however,  were  still  occa- 
sionally necessary  in  cases  where  the  rights  of 
ownership  were  especially  involved  and  compli- 
cated, and  this  was  probably  the  case  with 
Padworth,  as,  in  a  prefatory  note  to  the  Enclosure 
Enclosure  Act  for  Beenham  and  Padworth  which  was  passed 
Beenhamand  in  i8n,  it  is  explained  that  the  reason  for  legislat- 
ing for  the  two  Parishes  together  was  that  their 
common  rights  were*  so  intermixed  with  each 
other  and  blended  together  that  it  has  been  found 
very  difficult  to  ascertain  and  define  the  boundaries 
of  the  said  Parishes ;  and  anyone  studying  the 
Parish  maps  will  agree  that  the  reason  was  a 
valid  one.  The  old  common  field  system  died 
hard  ;  in  Worcestershire  for  instance  one  such 
enclosure  was  made  as  late  as  1865. 

The  land  to  be  apportioned  in  Padworth  and 
Beenham  contained  about  574  acres,  and  the 
claimants  for  compensation  were  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Hemus,  Rector  of  Padworth,  and  the  Rev.  John 
Bostock,  Vicar  of  Beenham,  in  consideration  of 
their  glebe  and  tythe  rights,  Matthew  Chitty  Darby 
Griffith,  Esq.,  of  Padworth,  the  Rev.  Sir  Charles 
Rich,  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Beenham,  William  Con- 
greve,  Esq.,  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Aldermaston, 
Ann  Hartley,  widow  of  Winchcomb  Hartley,  Esq., 
of  Bucklebury  and  his  other  legatees,  Frederick 
Page,  Esq.,  William,  Richard  and  John  Stephens, 
and  John  Soper  and  Mary  James,  and  the  Trustees 
of  the  Poor  of  Padworth.  These  last  seem  to  have 


THE    PARISH.  173 

held  some  of  the  common  land  in  which  the 
bequests  of  money  made  at  various  times  for  the 
use  of  the  Padworth  poor  had  been  invested. 
The  allotment  made  to  them  by  the  Act  consists 
of  rather  more  than  two  acres,  situated  on  the 
East  side  of  the  Padworth  Road  between  the 
canal  and  the  Bath  Road.  There  is  also  a  small 
plot  between  the  canal,  the  river,  and  the  road 
(not  mentioned  in  the  Act)  which  was  previously 
and  is  still  held  in  trust  for  the  poor. 

The  land  apportioned  to  each  of  these 
claimants  is  very  fully  set  out  in  a  Deed  of  Allot- 
ment, accompanied  by  a  map  which,  after  the 
passing  of  the  Act,  was  for  a  long  time  in  private 
hands  as  the  Parish  had  refused  to  pay  for  it, 
but  was  purchased  for  £7  in  1896  by  the  Parish 
Council.  The  Enclosure  Act  was  finally  carried 
out  in  1813. 

canai.  Mention  has  been  made  of  Wharf  field  ;  this  must 
have  been  so  named  in  comparatively  recent 
times  since  the  canal  with  which  the  wharf  is 
connected  was  only  opened  after  1714.  Its 
purpose  was  to  shorten  the  water  communication 
between  Reading  and  Newbury  by  connecting  the 
bends  of  the  river  with  a  series  of  short  canals 
or  cuts.  In  1810  the  Kennet  and  Avon  Canal 
was  opened  West  of  Newbury,  and  the  two  under- 
takings combined,  then  provided  complete  water 
communication  for  the  whole  distance  between 
London  and  Bath.  The  utility  of  this  scheme 
however,  was  shortlived,  for,  in  1841,  the  Great 
Western  Railway  Company  opened  their  line 
from  London  to  Bath,  and  in  1847  they  had 
established  a  branch  line  from  Reading  to  Hunger- 
ford.  They  purchased  the  .Kennet  and  Avon 


174  THE   PARISH. 

navigation  property  in  1852  and  since  that  time 
the  river  and  its  canals  have  quietly  gone  to  sleep 
together. 

Adjoining  the  wharf  but  mostly  outside  the 
parish,  between  the  railway  and  canal,  is  a  tract 
containing  a  piece  of  water,  known  as  the  Hag 
Pit.  In  Scotland,  where  peat  is  found  in  holes 
or  depressions,  such  places  are  called  Peat  Hags, 
and  it  seems  likely  that  Hag-pit  may  have  had  a 
similar  meaning  as  it  is  well  known  that  peat 
was  formerly  dug  in  the  river  meadows. 

In  connection  with  the  wharf  it  may  be  recorded 
that,  at  the  point  where  the  four  Parishes  of 
Padworth,  Beenham,  Aldermaston  and  Wool- 
hampton  meet  and  are  very  much  intermixed, 
a  little  hamlet  has  come  into  existence,  inhabited 
chiefly  by  the  men  employed  on  the  railway  and 
in  the  adjacent  brewery  belonging  to  Messrs. 
Strange  and  Co.  These  houses  being  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  their  respective  Parish 
Churches,  at  none  of  which  at  the  time  any 
evening  service  was  held,  it  occurred  to  the 
several  incumbents,  about  the  year  1860,  to 
arrange  between  themselves  for  Sunday  evening 
services  during  the  Winter  to  be  held  in  the  Brew 
House  lent  for  the  purpose  by  Mr.  Strange. 
These  were  continued  till  1901,  but  were  given 
up  when  evening  services  in  the  Parish  Churches 
were  held  instead. 

Close  by  the  river,  in  the  swampy  land  unsuit- 
able either  for  pasture  or  ploughing,  are  extensive 
osier  beds,  and  picking  and  peeling  the  rods  is 
one  of  the  minor  industries  of  the  valley. 

Almost  due  South  of  the  wharf,  on  an  island 
formed  by  the  millstream  and  the  river,  stands 


THE    PARISH.  175 

the  one  mill  now  existing  in  Pad  worth.  In 
Domesday  Book  it  is  recorded  that  there  were 
then  three  mills  within  the  Parish,  and  as  late  as 
the  division  of  the  Manor  between  the  heiresses 
of  Peter  Cowdray,  the  existence  of  the  same 
number  is  clearly  referred  to  in  contemporary 
documents  :  yet  the  site  of  the  two  other  mills 
is  now  very  uncertain.  Some  light  is  thrown 
on  the  subject  by  some  notes  written  between 
the  years  1715  and  1730  concerning  a  dispute 
between  Mr.  Carleton,  Rector  of  Padworth,  and 
his  parishioners  as  to  tythes.  Among  other  points 
which  are  referred  to  on  page  52,  the  amount 
of  the  tythe  to  be  paid  on  the  mill  meadows  was 
in  question,  and,  according  to  what  seems  to  have 
been  the  custom,  certain  of  the  oldest  inhabitants 
were  summoned  by  both  parties  to  the  dispute 
to  give  their  evidence  on  the  matter.  Incidentally, 
these  tell  us  a  great  deal  about  the  mills.  There 
was  only  one  mill  then,  but  most  of  the  witnesses 
had  heard  from  antient  persons  now  long  since  dead 
that  there  had  formerly  been  another  mill — a 
fulling  mill — on  the  South  side  of  the  island, 
about  60  feet  Westward  up  the  stream  from  where 
the  mill  then  stood,  and  in  confirmation  of  the 
fact  they  knew  that  the  meadow  on  that  side  was 
called  Rack  mead  because  the  racks  had  been 
erected  there  for  stretching  the  cloth.  It  must  be 
explained  that  a  Fulling  mill  is  a  mill  for  fulling 
or  dressing  cloth  :  thus  the  plant,  teazel,  is 
called  the  Fuller's  thistle  because  of  its  being  used 
in  combing  cloth  ;  to  full  cloth  is  technically 
to  scour  and  thicken  the  fibres  in  a  mill.  The 
racks  would  be  for  stretching  and  drying  the 
cloth  after  the  fulling.  We  gain  here  quite  a  new 


176  THE    PARISH. 

idea  of  bygone  industries  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Kennet,  industries  which  naturally  came  to  an 
end  when  steam  superseded  running  water  as  a 
motive  power  for  machinery. 

The  mill  then  standing,  a  corn  mill,  had  been 
built,  according  to  the  witnesses,  about  28  years 
previously,  and  Ralf  Faulkner,  among  others, 
said  that  he  had  been  present  while  it  was  being 
built,  and  that  he  had  helped  to  pull  out  from  the 
stream,  about  60  yards  higher  up,  a  sill  of  timber 
which  he  believed  to  be  a  sill  of  a  cornmill  by 
reason  of  its  dimensions  ;  a  sill  being  a  piece  of 
timber  intended  to  support  a  super  structure. 
There  wera  some  figures  cut  on  the  sill,  but  none 
of  the  witnesses,  unfortunately,  remembered  what 
they  were.  The  consensus  of  opinion  amongst 
them  seems  to  have  been  that  there  may  have  been 
two  corn  mills,  one  on  each  side  of  the  island, 
and  that  there  certainly  was  once  a  fulling  mill. 
All  trace  and  memory  of  this  last  has  now  gone. 
The  Bridge.  The  bridge  that  crosses  the  river  Kennet  in 
the  Parish  of  Padworth  was  existing  at  all  events 
as  long  ago  as  1657  when  an  enquiry  was  held 
in  Reading  concerning  the  yearly  rent  thereof 
and  the  arrears,  by  which  may  be  meant  the  local 
rate  for  its  maintenance.  It  was  during  the  time 
succeeding  the  Civil  Wars  when  no  doubt  such 
public  works  had  been  neglected. 

^ie  Present  Mill  house  is  a  picturesque  building, 
probably  standing  on  the  same  site  occupied  by 
its  predecessor  now  nearly  1,000  years  ago.  Not 
far  off  there  is  a  cottage  which  was  known  50 
years  ago  as  the  Inoculation  Cottage,  where  the 
children  of  the  district  were  brought  for  inoculation 
and  subsequently  for  vaccination  at  the  doctor's 


THE    PARISH.  177 

periodical  visits.  The  name  probably  dated  from 
times  still  further  back,  before  vaccination  became 
general  in  1779  and  while  inoculation  of  small-pox 
was  practised. 

Of  the  ancient  dwelling  houses  demolished  in 
recent  times  perhaps  the  most  important  was  the 
old  Manor  House  of  Hussee's  Manor,  called  in  later 
times  Pam  Hall.  It  was  used  within  living 
memory  as  two  cottages  and  is  marked  in 
the  map  of  Roque's  Topographical  Survey  dated 
1761.  It  stood  on  the  South  side  of  a  field  called 
Home  Close,  lying  West  of  Silver  Lane,  that  is, 
the  Lane  leading  from  Old  Farm  to  Padworth 
Common  ;  traces  of  its  foundations  may  still  be 
seen  there.  Latterly  it  was  occupied  by  a  Roman 
Catholic  family  of  the  name  of  Prior,  tenants  and 
friends  of  Mr.  Perkins  of  Ufton ;  there  are 
monuments  to  their  memory  in  Ufton  Churchyard. 
Mr.  Francis  Prior,  who  died  in  1788  had  held 
the  office  of  overseer  to  the  poor  in  Padworth 
and  was  much  respected  (see  pages  29  and  96).  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  lane  from  Pam  Hall  stood 
two  cottages  also  now  pulled  down  ;  in  one  of 
these  dwelt  within  living  memory  an  old  woman, 
Mrs.  Lawrence,  who  had  been  servant  to  Squire 
Perkins  at  Ufton  Court  and  who  loved  to  tell 
of  its  departed  glories. 

The  farm  house  known  as  Old  Farm  was  pulled 
down  about  the  year  1882,  when  a  new  farm  house 
was  built  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  roadway. 
It  contained  some  old  carved  oak  work,  part  of 
which,  after  the  building  was  destroyed,  was 
made  use  of  as  a  mantelpiece  and  sideboard  in 
the  new  house  ;  it  has  since  been  taken  away. 
The  old  house  had  some  Elizabethan  character 


178  THE    PARISH. 

istics  and  resembled  Ufton  Court  in  being  built 
of  timber  and  rubble  and  having  projecting 
window  frames  supported  by  brackets  ;  there  are 
also  said  to  have  been  hiding  places  there. 

In  the  gravel  pit  near  the  new  farm  house  some 
labourers  found,  a  short  time  ago,  an  earthenware 
pot,  said  to  be  a  British  funeral  urn  ;  it  was  in 
very  perfect  condition  and  contained  ashes,  it  is 
now  kept  in  the  Reading  Museum. 

Turning  Westward  towards  Padworth  Park  and 
still  within  the  limits  of  Hussee's  Manor,  we  come 
to  four  brick  cottages  and  some  school  buildings. 
These  last  were  built  by  Mr.  Richard  Benyon  of 
Englefield  in  1875,  when  the  old  school  cottage 
near  Hatch  Farm  was  pulled  down  ;  the  cottages 
were  built  about  ten  years  later. 

The  Rectory  is  no  doubt  an  ancient  building, 
dating,  at  any  rate,  if  not  from  still  older  times, 
from  1624,  when  it  is  described  with  its  barn, 
stables  and  garden  in  the  old  Terrier  already 
quoted  (see  page  84).  But  few  features  of  its 
original  appearance  however  remain.  The  last 
important  alteration  was  made  in  Mr.  Cole's 
time,  when  the  square  block  of  building  to  the 
South,  containing  the  present  dining  room,  and 
other  rooms,  replacing  a  part  which  was  out  of 
repair,  was  added.  This  was  done  with  the 
assistance  of  a  loan  from  the  funds  of  Queen 
Anne's  Bounty. 

To  the  South  East  of  the  Rectory  and  North  of 
the  Common  there  stands  a  house  formerly  known 
as  Perkin's  Farm,  not  however  because  of  any 
connection  with  the  former  owners  of  Ufton, 
but  simply  called  so  after  a  tenant  of  that  name. 
It  is  now  called  Padworth  Croft.  Its  antiquity 
is  attested  by  the  inscription  G.B.  1736  and 


XXIX. 


THE    PARISH.  179 

A.B.  1736  cut  on  two  bricks  at  the  back  of  the 
building.  The  initials  may  refer  to  members  of 
the  Brightwell  family  in  whose  property  the  house 
stood,  and  perhaps  recorded  the  date  of  some 
alteration  or  enlargement  as  the  house  is  thought 
to  be  much  older. 

It  was  very  much  altered  and  beautified  in  1894 
by  the  well  known  architect  Mr.  Woody er  who 
ended  his  days  in  this  quiet  retreat. 

Padworth  House  itself,  the  residence  of  the 
Lords  of  the  Manor,  probably  occupies  the  site 
of  the  old  Manor  House  of  the  Cowdrays.  This 
seems  the  more  likely  as,  according  to  an  arrange- 
ment commonly  found  in  the  neighbourhood, 
it  stands  in  close  proximity  to  the  Parish  Church. 
With  the  improvements  and  alterations  made  in 
modern  times,  all  visible  signs  of  the  fortifications 
that  one  would  expect  to  find  in  a  dwelling  house 
of  the  Norman  period  have  disappeared  ;  there 
are,  however,  many  traces  under  the  surface  of 
foundations  of  buildings  all  round  the  house, 
especially  on  the  North  side,  and  the  pond  which 
lies  on  the  South  side  may  formerly  have  supplied 
a  moat. 

A  big  brick  vaulted  drain,  large  enough  to  allow 
the  passage  of  a  man  stooping,  runs  down  from 
the  house  to  the  lower  lodge.  Such  drains  were 
made  in  the  times  before  the  use  of  smooth  glazed 
pipes,  to  allow  of  their  being  easily  cleaned  out. 

The  oldest  part  of  the  house  as  at  present 
standing  is  the  block  forming  the  Eastern  half, 
which  though  externally  faced  to  match  the  other 
half,  is  inside  constructed  of  heavy  oak  timbers 
much  in  the  style  of  the  oldest  part  of  the  Manor 
House  of  Ufton,  known  as  Ufton  Court,  which 


l8o  THE    PARISH. 

is  supposed  to  date  from  the  close  of  the  Wars 
of  the  Roses,  that  is,  the  end  of  the  XVth 
Century.  This  part  of  Padworth  House  may  well, 
therefore,  be  what  is  left  of  the  dwelling  house  of 
Peter  Cowdray  who  died  in  1528.  The  house 
as  seen  at  present  was  much  enlarged  in  1769 
(see  page  147). 

To  give  some  idea  of  what  was  the  daily  life  and 
condition  of  the  peasant  population  of  Padworth 
in  former  times  there  exists  a  series  of  wills, 
dating  from  1522  to  1641,  which  having  been 
registered  in  the  Court  of  the  Archdeaconry  of 
Berks,  are,  fortunately  for  us,  preserved  among 
the  archives  of  the  country  at  Somerset  House 
in  London. 

Out  of  upwards  of  forty  of  these  wills  at  least 
thirty  are  written  by  men  who  must  have  lived 
in  cottages  no  better  probably,  if  as  good,  as  some 
of  the  poorer  sort  that  we  still  see  in  the  Parish 
to-day.  And  next  to  our  astonishment  that 
so  many  persons  of  that  class  should  have  made 
and  registered  formal  wills,  comes  also  the  surprise 
that  such  trivial  affairs  as  the  bequests  herein 
mentioned  should  have  survived  through  all 
the  changes  of  history,  while  so  many  more 
important  facts  have  been  irretrievably  lost. 

Of  the  few  that  are  written  by  men  of  higher 
station,  one  by  the  Parson  of  Padworth  is  quoted 
on  page  46.  Several  are  by  members  of  the  Little- 
field  family  (see  pages  128  to  131),  who,  though 
of  the  farmer  class,  owned  at  one  time,  by  purchase, 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  Manor  estates,  and  there 
are  others  by  smaller  landowners.  But  by  far 
the  greater  number,  as  has  been  said,  are  written 
by  or  for,  men  of  the  labouring  class.  A  specimen 


THE    PARISH.  l8l 

of  one  of  these  is  here  given  in  full.  It  is  dated 
1550  and  is  by  one  John  Sylvester,  a  name  still 
known  in  quite  recent  times  in  the  neighbourhood. 
He  must  have  lived  through  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII.  and  died  when  the  young  Edward  VI.  was 
King,  though  he  makes  no  allusion  to  the  momen- 
tous changes  in  religion  that  had  taken  place 
under  his  eyes.  He  begins  :— 

In  the  name  of  God  Amen 7,  John  Sylvester  in 

the  parishe  of  Padworthe  syke  of  bodye  but  wholle  of  mynde 
make  this  my  last  wyll  in  this  manner.  Furst  I  bequeve 
my  sowle  to  Almighte  God  and  my  bodye  to  be  buryed  in 
the  parishe  Churche  of  St.  John  Baptiste  in  Padworthe. 
(Here  he  solves  a  problem  for  us,  for  there  had  been  no 
early  authority  known  for  the  dedication  of  the  Church). 
In  primis  I  bequeve  to  the  Mother  Churche  of  Sarum 
Id  I  bequeve  to  the  hie  awter  of  Padworthe  for  my  tythes 
omittyd  iiijd.  I  bequeve  to  Griffin  Lyon  a  cowe  to  Elizabeth 
Fleccher  a  shippe  (sheep)  to  Robart  lyttelfytte  a  lame  (lamb) 
to  Elizabeth  brightwell  a  lame  to  John  Burnam  a  lame  to 
everyone  of  my  Godchildren  that  is  at  my  buryall  iiijd. 
The  rest  of  all  my  goodes  my  dettes  payed  I  bequeve  to 
Margery  my  wyffe  who  I  make  my  full  executrix  she  for 
to  bestowe  for  the  welthe  of  my  sowlle  as  she  shall  thinke 
best.  These  witnesberers  Thos.  Lyttelfield  thomas  Bartel- 
mewe  with  others.  The  dettes  paid  I  X£  remaineth  VI£ 
XXd. 

Concerning  the  sums  of  money  mentioned  it 
must  be  remembered  that  money  was  then  about 
ten  times  as  valuable  as  it  is  now.  Therefore 
what  was  left  to  the  widow  amounted  to  about 
£60.  Out  of  this  she  was  to  pay  for  masses  for 
the  soul  of  the  departed  at  her  discretion. 

He  had  owned,  besides,  a  cow,  perhaps  more 
than  one,  and  some  sheep,  these  he  probably 
grazed  on  his  Lord's  waste  lands.  The  mother 
church  of  Sarum,  to  which  he  makes  a  very  usual 
but  modest  bequest,  was  the  Cathedral  of  the 


182  THE    PARISH. 

Diocese  at  the  time  (see  page  32),  and  the  one 
penny  (or  perhaps  we  should  say  lod)  may  have 
been  to  defray  the  expenses  of  candles  to  be  burnt 
at  some  shrine  as  also  the  bequest  to  the  High 
Altar  at  Padworth.  No  doubt  even  the  small 
inducement  offered  to  his  Godchildren  procured 
a  good  attendance  of  them  at  his  funeral  ;  at  any 
rate  he  had  not  forgotten  them. 

Of  history,  in  the  usual  sense  of  the  word,  there 
is  little  to  be  related  in  connection  with  this  quiet 
and  essentially  rural  village,  and  the  few  occasions 
when  events  in  the  outer  world  affected  Padworth 
have  been  already  alluded  to.  In  1643  there  took 
place  in  the  lane  by  Padworth  Gully,  a  skirmish 
between  Prince  Rupert's  cavalry  and  the  Parlia- 
mentary troops,  who  were  retiring  after  the 
Battle  of  Newbury,  and  making  their  way  towards 
London.  They  could  not  cross  the  Kennet  at 
Newbury  because  King  Charles  still  held  the 
bridge,  so  were  proceeding  by  way  of  Crookham 
Common,  Brimpton  and  Aldermaston  to  reach 
the  bridge  below  Padworth  Park.  To  quote 
from  Mr.  Money's  History  of  Newbury  :— 

No  sooner  had  Lord  Essex  with  his  men  entered  the 
narrow  lane  between  Aldermaston  and  Padworth,  than 
Prince  Rupert,  who  with  a  column  of  cavalry  and  800 
musqueteers  had  unperceived  taken  up  a  position  in 
their  line  of  march,  fell  suddenly  on  the  rear-guard  under 
Sir  Philip  Stapleton,  throwing  it  into  considerable 
disorder.  The  horse  soldiers  galloped  through  the  foot, 
crying  panic-struck,  "  Away,  away !  Every  man  for 
his  life,  you  are  all  dead  men  !  "  But  the  foot  soon 
rallied,  and  spreading  themselves  along  the  hedges  on 
both  sides,  poured  such  telling  volleys  on  Rupert's 
wearied  cavalry  that  after  a  desperate  struggle  the 
Royalists,  having  no  force  to  support  them,  were  com- 
pelled to  abandon  the  attack,  losing,  it  is  said,  in  this 
short  and  murderous  affair,  something  like  300  men. 


THE    PARISH.  183 

The  Parliamentary  troops  then  went  on  their 
way  and  reached  Theale  about  two  o'clock  where 
they  passed  the  night. 

When  the  present  Padworth  Bridge  was  re-built 
about  30  years  ago  a  small  chest,  clamped  with 
iron,  was  dredged  up  from  the  river  ;  it  is  now  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Mount,  of  Wasing  Place  ; 
also  a  spear  head  and  stirrup  were  found  there,  now 
preserved  in  Padworth  House.  These  articles, 
it  is  supposed,  may  have  belonged  to  the  body  of 
soldiers  above  mentioned. 

The  remains  of  those  slain  in  the  fight  are 
thought  to  be  identical  with  the  bones  found 
buried  in  pits  in  the  Churchyard  (see  page  30). 
Perhaps  the  same  event  may  explain  a  strange 
discovery  of  the  skeleton  of  a  man  and  a  horse 
which  were  found  by  some  workmen,  sunk  deep 
below  one  of  the  drains  leading  from  the  round 
pond  on  the  south  side  of  Padworth  House.  No 
sort  of  tradition  exists  to  account  for  them  and 
the  story  of  the  discovery  is  said  to  be  doubtful. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1762,  a  terrific  hailstorm 
swept  over  Padworth  and  the  neighbouring  dis- 
trict. It  laid  waste  more  than  700  acres  of  wheat, 
oats,  beans  and  peas,  and  also  hops,  which  are  now 
no  longer  grown  here.  The  damage  was  estimated 
at  £1,143  and  so  great  was  the  feeling  excited  by 
the  disaster  that,  on  the  representation  of  the 
Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  county,  Royal  Letters 
Patent  were  issued  by  George  III.  exhorting  the 
parish  authorities  throughout  England  and  Wales 
to  make  collections  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers. 
The  money  so  collected  was  paid  over  for  distri- 
bution to  the  following  gentlemen,  Bernard  Brocas 
of  Beaurepaire,  Christopher  Griffith  of  Padworth, 


184  THE    PARISH. 

Charles  Perkins  of  Ufton,  Ralph  Congreve  of 
Aldermaston,  James  Morgan  of  Mortimer  and 
Henry  Lannoy  Hunter  of  Beech  Hill. 

In  1787  the  murder  took  place,  which  has  been 
alluded  to  in  the  account  of  the  Registers,  of  an 
old  Ufton  man  named  William  Billimore.  The 
murderers  were  two  boys  whose  names  appear  as 
having  been  baptised  in  Padworth  Church  (see 
page  93).  They  overtook  the  old  man  in  a  quiet 
spot  in  Silver  Hill  and  there  killed  him  with 
blows  from  a  heavy  stick  and  took  his  silver  watch. 
They  fled  as  far  as  Maidenhead,  but  were  there 
arrested  and  brought  to  trial  at  the  Reading 
Assizes  and  condemned  to  be  hung.  Afterwards, 
as  was  the  custom  at  the  time,  their  bodies  were 
hung  in  chains  in  an  open  place  on  Mortimer 
Common,  not  far  from  the  scene  of  their  crime 
and,  as  is  said,  within  sight  of  their  own  homes. 
There  they  hung  for  many  years,  a  terror  to  many 
innocent  people  as  well  as  to  evil-doers,  till  the 
late  Mrs.  Brocas  of  Beaurepaire,  who  was  at  the 
time  living  at  Wokefield  Park,  having  been 
greatly  shocked  by  the  sight,  gave  private  orders 
that  they  should  be  removed  and  buried. 

The  Gibbet  on  which  they  hung  stood  near  the 
turning  where  there  is  a  sign  post  on  the  Padworth 
and  Ufton  road.  The  spot  is  now  planted 
with  fir  trees  and  is  called  Gibbet  Piece.  The 
chains  were  preserved  by  some  lover  of  horrors, 
and  finally  presented  with  the  contemporary 
newspaper  giving  an  account  of  the  trial  and 
execution,  to  the  Reading  Museum  where  they 
may  now  be  seen. 

Superstition  has  lingered  longer  among  our 
village  folk  than  would  be  imagined  from  a  super- 


THE    PARISH.  185 

ficial  acquaintance  with  them.  The  daughter  of 
a  former  Rector,  Miss  Curtis,  who  lived  many  years 
in  Padworth  and  learnt  to  know  the  people  well, 
tells  us  that  some  of  the  old  cottagers  kept  what 
they  called  Good  Friday  Bread,  that  is,  bread  from 
the  Sacrament  on  Good  Friday,  through  the  year, 
and  considered  that,  when  taken  powdered  and 
soaked  in  water,  it  was  a  sovereign  remedy  for 
coughs.  And  the  writer  herself  has  been  gravely 
told  by  an  old  woman  now  dead,  of  another  remedy 
for  the  same  complaint,  of  which  the  chief  ingre- 
dient was  the  hair  from  a  donkey's  tail.  The 
cunning  man  and  the  great  reputation  he  enjoyed 
have  already  been  alluded  to. 

In  giving  this  short  record  of  a  small  country 
Parish,  its  Church  and  its  Rectors,  its  ancient 
Manorial  rights  and  customs  and  its  system  of 
common  fields,  together  with  a  sketch  of  the 
families  who  held  the  position  of  Lords  of  the 
Manor,  some  may  think  that  too  much  importance 
has  been  attached  to  what,  after  all,  are  trivial 
matters.  But  history  is  made  up  of  small  things, 
and  if  by  drawing  attention  to  them  we  can  help 
our  readers  to  realise  the  conditions  under  which 
English  men  and  women  lived,  in  scenes  now  so 
familiar  to  ourselves,  a  fresh  interest  may  be 
added  to  their  homes  and  their  surroundings  of 
which  they  have  hitherto  had  no  idea. 


i86 

ADDENDA  WITH    REFERENCES   TO    FOREGOING 
PAGES. 

CONTENTS  :  Inscription  "  Lyndyssay  David"  (p.  8).  Sacred 
Monogram  (p.  9).  Will  of  Thomas  Blackman  (p.  26).  Will 
of  Thomas  Carter  of  Beenham  (p.  45).  Will  of  Thomas-  Gray 
(p.  48).  Will  of  George  Goodall  with  Catalogue  of  Books 
(p.  50).  Murder  of  Walter  Cole  of  Padworth  (p.  116).  A 
Lost  Brass  (p.  121).  Priory  of  Hounslow  (p.  140).  Archbishop 
Chicheley  (p.  144).  Sir  Thomas  Chicheley  (p.  145).  Mrs. 
Sarah  Chicheley  (p.  145).  Population  of  Padworth  (p.  150). 
Return  of  Hearth  Tax  for  Padworth,  1663  (p.  150).  Round- 
heads at  Padworth  before  the  Battle  of  Newbury  (p.  182). 

INSCRIPTION  "  LYNDYSSAY  DAVID." 

On  a  fragment  of  one  of  the  cusps  of  the  low  window 
formerly  in  the  south  wall  of  the  Chancel  a  rather  puzzling 
inscription,  or  as-  it  may  be  more  correctly  described,  a 
scratching,  has  been  found.  It  is  here  reproduced. 


The  first  point  to  be  noticed  is  the  unusual  reversal 
of  the  order  of  the  Christian  and  surname  ;  and  then  who 
was  "  Lyndyssay  David  "  ?  From  his  name  probably  a 
Scotchman.  And  concerning  a  man  of  that  name  the 
following  information  has  been  obtained  by  the  kind- 
ness of  Mr.  J.  Challenor  Smith,  F.S.A.,  of  Silchester. 
Mr.  M.  A.  Giuseppi,  F.S.A.,  has  quoted  the  following  entry 
from  Patent  Roll,  Ed.  iv.  (p.  i,  m.  10)  : — "  1462,  June  20th, 
"  Westminster.  A  mandate  to  all  bailiffs  and  others  to 
"  permit  David  Lyndesaye,  a  native  of  Dundee  in  Scotland 
"  staying  at  Redyng  within  the  realm  of  England  who  has 
"  taken  an  oath  of  fealty,  to  inhabit  the  realm  peaceably 
"for  his  life  and  to  enjoy  his  goods." 


i87 

Furthermore,  from  the  researches  of  another  antiquarian, 
Mr.  W.  A.  Lindsay,  K.C.,  F.S.A.,  Windsor  Herald,  we  learn 
that  there  was  a  David  Lyndesa}^  in  1462,  eldest  son  of 
John  Lyndesaye,  of  the  Byres,  and  the  style  of  the  writing 
is  thought  to  correspond  with  that  date  ;  also  to  resemble 
closely  the  early  Lindsay  signatures.  Dundee  is  a  very  likely 
place  for  one  of  the  family  to  come  from.  Beyond  this  we 
are  not  likely  to  go  in  solving  the  mystery  as  to  why  this 
Scotchman  wrote  his  name  on  a  window  of  Padworth  Church  ; 
it  may  have  been  when  taking  sanctuary,  (p.  8). 

A  SACRED  MONOGRAM. 

On  the  west  splay  of  the  south-east  window  of  the  Apse 

is    a    faintly    marked    sacred    monogram    here    reproduced. 

jf  No  indication  of  its  date  or  purpose  is  discover- 

^     E^   ^*able  and  any  further  decoration  of  which  it  may 

I  I  have   formed  part    has  perished.      It  has  been 

I    I  f    I  suggested  that  it  may  have  been  a  votive  record, 

1    *  *  similar  in  purpose  to  the  small  crosses  sometimes 

found  cut  on  church  walls,  and  supposed  to  have 

been  the  work  of  pilgrims,     (p.  9). 


ABSTRACT  OF  WILL  OF  THOMAS  BLACKMAN  of  Sulhamstead 
Abbot,  Yeoman. 

Dated  27th  April,  1605,  Proved  I2th  Sept.,  1605  (p.c.c. 
65  Hayes).  Provision  for  four  Cottages  to  be  built  for 
poor  people  in  Sulhamstead  and  bequests  to  the  poor  of 
the  parishes  of  Ufton,  Padworth,  Aldermaston,  Engle- 
field,  Burghfield,  Tilehurst,  East  Hendred,  Sutton,  Apple- 
ford,  and  Reading;  also,  "whereas  of  right  I  ought  to 
"  have  a  lease  of  a  thousand  years  of  the  Chappell  and  Close 
"  at  Theale  by  the  Grant  of  Sir  Humfrey  Forster  Kt.  deceased 
"  I  give  my  right  therein  to  my  friends  Sir  Reade  Stafford, 
"  Fraunces  Englefield,  Esqr.,  Richard  Bartlett,  Esqr.,  and 
"  Andrew  Blundon,  Esqr.,  hopinge  they  will  procure  Sir 
"  William  Forster  to  grant  the  said  lease  to  the  intente  a 
"  schole  maie  there  be  erected." 

WILLIAM  BLACKMAN 's  WILL,  of  Aldermaston,  1657-8,  men- 
tions his  friend  Mr.  John  Smith,  of  Padworth.  p.  26. 


i88 

ABSTRACT  OF  THE  WILL  OF  THOMAS  CARTER  of  Beenham. 

To  be  buried  in  the  Church  of  "  Alhalowen  of  Shirborn  " 
in  Hants  (Monk  Sherborne  All  Saints). 

"  To  Cicely  my  wife  fxx  now  in  the  hands  of  her  broder 
and  my  house  and  land  in  Pad  worth  except  Notingmede." 
The  residue  to  John  and  Thomas  sons  and  executors ;  son 
Richard  and  Andrew  Purdue  son  in  law  overseers.  Witnesses 
Sir  John  Burshewe  Parson  of  Padworth,  Gregory  Savage  and 
John  Haskar  and  others. 

Proved  2nd  July,  1523.  (p.  45). 

ABSTRACT  OF  WILL  OF  THOMAS  GRAY. 

Thomas  Grey  or  Gray  signed  his  Will  as  Rector  of  Padworth 
on  the  26th  August,  1653.  If  therefore  the  Thomas  Evor, 
returned  as  Rector  in  the  Protestations  taken  in  1641,  was  at 
that  time  in  occupation,  his  tenure  could  only  have  been 
temporary.  As  to  "  Parson  Harris  "  (date  1642)  sufficient 
evidence  is  not  forthcoming  to  allow  of  any  certainty 
concerning  his  position.  It  was  a  time  of  great  confusion  in 
Ecclesiastical  affairs. 

He  therein  styles  himself  "Minister  and  Rector  of  Padworth." 
He  directs  that  his  body  shall  be  buried  in  the  "  Chauncell  of 
Padworth  Church  "  (no  sign  of  such  burial  has  however  been 
found  there)  and  he  bequeaths  certain  lands  called  "  Lady 
Wood  and  New  Meade  "  in  the  Parish  of  Aldermaston  to  his 
son  and  to  his  daughter  Elizabeth  Barbar,  with  a  life  interest 
to  his  "  deare  wife  Rose  Gray."  The  Will  is  witnessed  by 
Richard  Jerfield  and  by  Nicholas  Tame  who  affixes  his 
mark.  (p.  48). 

ABSTRACT  OF  THE  WILL  OF  GEORGE  GOODALL. 
Proved  in  London,  29th  December,  1707,  by  Philip  Goddard 
Clerk  (Vicar  ?),  of  Beenham  ;  Executor  : — 

"  I  George  Goodall,  Batchelor  of  Divinity  and  Rector  of 
"  Padworth  Co  Berks,  being  weak  in  body,  &c.,  &c.,  doe 
"  make  this  my  last  Will  and  Testament 


189 

"  Imprimis  :  I  freely  and  cheerfully  resigne  my  Soul  unto 
'  '  God  that  gave  it  and  my  body  to  be  buryed  in  the  Chancell 
"  of  the  parish  Church  of  Padworth  aforesaid  in  sure  and 
"  certaine  hope  of  the  Resurrection  to  eternall  life. 

"  I  give  and  bequeath  all  my  houses,  Lands  and  Estates 
"  lying  in  and  about  the  Towne  of  St.  Ives  Co  Cornwall,  to 
"  my  kinsman  Ephraim  Rice,  Clerk  and  Minister  of  Stone 
"  Co  Gloucr  and  to  his  heirs  for  ever  .... 

"  I  give  unto  Exeter  College  Oxford  the  place  of  my  Educa- 
"  tion  £20,  or  as  many  Books  as  shall  be  valued  at  the  same 
"  Sume. 

"  Item     I  give  unto  the  poor  of  Padworth  £10. 

"  Item  I  give  all  those  Bookes  contained  in  the  Catalogue 
"  annexed  to  this  my  last  Will  and  Testament  to  be  fixed 
"  in  the  Roome  over  a  vault  intended  to  be  built  by  Loftus 
"  Brightwell  Esqr  and  adjoyned  to  the  Parish  Church  of  Pad- 
"  worth  Co  Berks,  for  a  Library  for  the  use  of  my  Successors, 
"  Rectors  of  the  said  Parish,  and  of  the  Neighbouring  Clergy 
"when  the  said  Room  shall  be  built  by  the  said  Loftus 
"  Brightwell  Esqr. 

"  And  I  doe  ordaine  the  said  Loftus  Brightwell  and  his 
"  heirs  and  my  Successors  Rectors  of  the  said  parish  of 
"  Padworth,  with  my  Executor  hereafter  named,  Overseers 
"  of  the  said  Library  ...  to  see  that  none  of  the  Books 
"  hereby  given  or  intended  to  be  given,  are  imbezelled  or 
"lost  .... 

"  All  the  rest  of  my  Goods,  &c.,  I  give  unto  Philip  Goddard 
"  Clerke  of  Beenham  Co  Berks  (executor)  30  November, 


(Signed)     '  '  GEORGE  GOODALL.  '  ' 

Philip  Goddard  had  been  a  poor  scholar  at  Exeter,  contem- 
porary with  George  Goodall. 

Here  follows  the  Catalogue  of  the  books  bequeathed  in 
the  above  Will  to  be  kept  as  a  Library  in  the  Parish  of  Pad- 
worth.  The  room  however  intended  to  hold  them  never 


igo 

seems  to  have  been  built,  and   as  to  books  themselves  no 
record  exists  as  to  what  has  become  of  them  : — 

'  Pool's  Synopsis  Criticorum,  5  Vols.       ...  Price  05  oo  oo 

Dr.  Jackson's  Works,  3  Vols.,  Fol.       ...  ,,  03  oo  oo 

Dr.  Lightfoot's  Works,  2  Vols.,  Fol.     ...  ,,  02  oo  oo 

Ravanelli,  Bibliotheca  Auctius,  3  Vols....  ,,  02  oo  oo 

Dr.  Taylor's  Life  of  Christ  with  Cave's 

Lives  of  the  Apostles  ...         ...         ...  ,,  01  05  oo 

Ductor  Dubitantium       ...         ...         ...  ,,  oo  15  oo 

Polemicall  Discourses      ,,  01  05  oo 

Sermons ,,  oo  15  oo 

Basilii  Opera,  3  Vols.      ...         ,,  03  oo  oo 

Eusebii  Opera,  2  Vols.    ...         ...         ...  ,,  02  10  oo 

Phillippi  a  Limbor  Theologia  Christiana  ,,  oo  12  oo 

Newman's  Concordance              ,,  oo  18  oo 

Bp.  Sanderson's  Sermons           ,,  oo  14  oo 

Exercitationes  in  Nov.  Test ,,  oo  08  oo 

Beza  in  Nov.  Testament            ,,  oo  12  oo 

Suarez  de  Legibus            „  oo  12  oo 

Tower's  Works,  3  Vols „  02  oo  oo 

Thomae  Aquin  Summa  (Theologica)    ...  „  oo  10  oo 

Bernardi  Opera  Parisijs              ...         ...  ,,  oo  10  oo 

Hooker's  Eccles.  Polity              ...         ...  ,,  oo  12  oo 

Dr.  Heylin  on  the  Creed            ,,  oo  08  oo 

Calvini  Institutiones  et  Opera „  02  10  oo" 

(P-  50) 

MURDER  OF  WALTER  COLE  OF  PAD  WORTH. 

The  record  of  a  tragedy  in  connection  with  Padworth  has 
been  preserved  among  the  Patent  Rolls  of  1255 — the  appoint- 
ment of  a  certain  Giles  de  Preston,  who  is  to  enquire  by  juror 
of  the  County  of  Huntingdon,  whether  Walter  Froille  killed 
Walter  Cole  of  Padworth,  Berks,  in  self  defence.  The  murder, 
whether  justifiable  or  otherwise,  probably  took  place,  not  at 
Padworth,  but  in  the  County  where  the  enquiry  was  to  be 
made.  (p.  116). 

A  LOST  BRASS. 

According  to  Ashmole,  an  imperfect  brass,  in  his  day 
existing  in  Fyfield  Church,  Co.  Berks,  but  now  lost,  bore  the 
following  inscription  :— 


".     .     .     .     Armiger  et  Elizabeth  uxor 
ejus  nuper  de  Padworth  qui  obiit 

dfii  MCCCC  Tricessimo 

quorum  animabus  propicietur  Deus  Amen  " 
Judging  by  the  date,  if  it  was  the  lady  who  was  "  formerly  of 
Padworth,"  she  may  have  been  a  daughter  of  the  widow  of 
Sir    Fulke  Cowdray,  whose    first    husband  was  Sir    Thomas 
Fifhilde  of  that  place — see  pedigree  (p.  121). 

THE  PRIORY  OF  HOUNSLOW. 

The  manor  and  site  of  the  Priory  of  Hounslow  was  part 
of  the  property  acquired  by  Loftus  Brightwell  by  his  marriage 
with  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Henry  Sayer.  He  sold  it  in 
1705  to  Whitlocke  Bulstrode,  Esq.  Lyson's  Environs  of 
London,  III.,  38.  (p.  140). 

ARCHBISHOP  CHICHELEY. 

This  ecclesiastic  had  in  early  life  been  Rector  of  East 
Hendred,  Berks.  His  portrait  in  glass,  reproduced  p.  144,  has 
so  much  more  individuality  than  most  of  the  so-called  por- 
traits that  go  by  his  name,  that  one  is  tempted  to  believe 
it  to  be  authentic.  No  record  exists  as  to  where  it  came 
from  or  how  it  was  acquired.  Several  portraits  of  the  Arch- 
bishop exist  at  All  Soul's  College,  (p.  144). 

SIR  THOMAS  CHICHELEY. 

Richard  Chicheley's  grandfather,  Sir  Thomas  Chicheley  of 
Wimpole  or  Wimple  in  Northamptonshire,  was  gih  in  descent 
from  William  Chicheley,  brother  to  the  Archbishop.  He 
was  High  Sheriff  of  his  county  in  1637,  but  suffered  severely 
under  the  Commonwealth  as  a  Loyalist.  At  the  Restoration 
he  was  elected  Member vof  Parliament  and  Knighted  in  1670, 
in  which  year  he  was  also  appointed  Master  General  of 
Ordnance  by  Charles  II.  According  to  Pepys,  he  lived  in 
great  style  in  Queen  Street,  Co  vent  Garden,  and  it  was 
perhaps  in  consequence  of  undue  extravagance  at  that  time 
that  he  subsequently  sold  his  estate  of  Wimpole  with  the  fine 
mansion  which  he  had  built,  and  which  is  still  to  be  seen  there. 
He  died  in  1694,  aged  76.  The  portrait  which  has  been 
identified  as  his,  represents  a  man  in  middle  life  with  a  flowing 


wig  and  wearing  a  breastplate  of  steel  crossed  by  a  red  scarf. 
He  holds  in  his  right  hand  a  General's  truncheon,  and  leans 
his  left  arm  on  the  muzzle  of  a  cannon,  (p.  145). 

MISTRESS  SARAH  CHICHELEY. 

This  lady  is  so  styled  on  an  existing  engraving  of  a  picture 
at  Pad  worth  House.  It  is  further  stated  that  the  painting 
is  the  work  of  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  executed  probably  before 
her  marriage  with  Mr.  Plowden  of  Ewhurst  Park,  Co.  Hants. 
She  was  the  youngest  sister  of  Dr.  Richard  Chicheley,  and  was 
the  grandmother  of  the  late  William  Plowden,  Esq.,  of 
Ewhurst.  She  is  dressed  in  white  satin  and  holds  a  wreath  of 
flowers  in  her  hand. 

Two  small  pictures  of  gentlemen  in  I7th  century  dress, 
heads  and  shoulders  only,  are  described  in  Mrs.  Anne  Chichele's 
list  as  portraits  of  Richard  Chichele's  uncles,  (p.  145). 

POPULATION  OF  PAD  WORTH. 

According  to  an  unre vised  copy  of  the  Census  of  1911  the 
population  numbered  263.  Inhabited  houses  62.  (p.  150). 

RETURNS  OF  HEARTH  TAX,  1663. 

Among  the  lay  subsidies  of  the  County  of  Berks  (Record 
Office)  is  the  return  of  the  Constable  of  Padworth  of  such 
persons  as  were  liable  to  the  payment  of  a  Tax  on  Fire  Hearths, 
in  the  year  1663.  The  number  of  hearths  in  each  instance 
mentioned  gives  an  idea  of  the  social  position  of  the  person 
taxed.  It  is  as  follows  : — 

"  M  Samuel  brightwell  twelve  fiar  hearths  " 

"  M  King  four  fiar  hearths  " 

"  M  An  Parkins  four  fiar  hearths  " 

Mr.  Robert  King  must  have  been  Rector  at  the  time.  Mrs. 
Ann  Parkins  was  probably  a  maiden  aunt  to  the  then  Squire 
of  Ufton,  Francis  Perkins,  residing  in  the  Manor  House,  later 
on  known  as  Pam  Hall,  the  property  of  the  Perkins  family  in 
Padworth. 

Then  follows  a  list  of  others,  farmers  and  small  tradesmen, 
who  are  taxed  on  "to  fiar  hearths,  Richard  thickas,  Wedow 
"  Goong,  John  Aslat,  Thomas  Silver,  Edward  Silver,  Steven 


193 

"  Sims,  Thomas  Laranc,  William  Tarn,  William  Mills, 
"  Robert  Collins,  John  Smith,  f ranees  Bruer,  William  Anglls. 
"  All  theas  ar  Charged  to  pay." 

Of  the  rest  of  the  householders,  fifteen  in  number  including 
five  widows,  it  is  added  :  "  All  theas  are  Pore  Pepell  that 
taketh  (alms  ?)  and  ar  not  charged." 

"  John  Mills  and  William  Gong  did  se  the  fiar  hearths." 
(p.  150). 

ROUNDHEADS  AT  PADWORTH  BEFORE  BATTLE  OF  NEWBURY. 

From  Camden's  Itineraries.  "  Near  this  place  (Alder- 
mast  on)  is  Padworth,  where  Essex  passed  the  Kennet  to 
attack  His  Majesty  at  Newbury."  This  incident  cannot  be 
the  same  as  that  described  in  Mr.  Money's  History  of 
Newbury — a  skirmish  which  took  place  not  before,  but 
after  the  battle  of  Newbury.  (p.  182). 


IQ4  APPENDIX    AND    MAP. 


FIELD    NAMES    IN    PAD  WORTH    PARISH. 

In  the  map  attached  to  the  award  of  common 
lands  made  in  1811  the  following  old  names  of 
the  meadows  and  fields  lying  in  the  Kennet  Valley, 
as  before  the  Enclosure  Act,  are  recorded. 

Beginning  from  the  West  and  South  of  the 
Bath  Road:— Wharf  Field,  Mill  Field,  Aldermaston 
East  Mead,  Mead  Lands,  Padworth  Field,  West 
Mead  and  East  Mead.  And  in  the  extreme  North- 
East  of  the  Parish,  Dunston  Field,  in  which  lies 
a  disused  Parish  gravel  pit. 

Barfield  and  Lye  Furlong  were  in  a  detached 
part  of  the  Parish  on  the  West  side  and  North  of 
the  Bath  Road,  since  1882  included  in  the  parish 
of  Beenham. 

The  following  are  the  old  field  names  as  recorded 
and  numbered  in  the  Tythe  Commutation  Map 
of  1840. 

In  the  valley  and  beginning  North-East,  and 
South  of  the  Bath  Road  :— 


1.  Towney  Field 

2.  Dunston  Field 
9.  Poor's  Land 

24.  Part  of  Hag  Pit 
45.  Round    Meadow 

(in    a    curve    of 

the  river) 


46.  Brown's    Lane 

Meadow 

47.  Poor's  Land 
51.  Duck's  Nest. 

87.  Little  Broad  Close 

88.  Broad  Close 

89.  Gt.  Oar  Close 


45  and  51  were  detached — since  1882  included  in  Beenham. 


OLD    FIELD    NAMES. 


195 


90.  Little  Nutcher's 

Mead 

91.  Nutcher's  Mead 
94.  The  Oars 

On  the  slope  of  the  Hill 

104.  Doiley  Close 

105.  Butcher's  Close 

1 06.  Miry  Pightle 

107.  Green  Hill 

1 08.  Blackmore  Close 
in.  Part   of   Norman 

Moor 

116.  Dam  as  Field 

On  the  high  ground  :— 

117.  l  Broad  and  Lower 
iiS.j          Halfpenny 
119.  Site  of  Pam  Hall 
125.  Maggyshaw 

129.  Beachastas 

130.  Mam   Hill  and 

Hockley's  Gully 

(Copse) . 

136.  Little  Pleck 
138. |  Great  and  Little 
141.)         Soverley 
142.  Brewer's  Lease 

(Copse) 

152.  Holly  Copse 
156.  Picket  Close 
159.  Pea  Close 


97.  Little      Calves' 

Leys 

98.  Four  Acre  Linley 

99.  Long  Bramleys' 
101.  Gt.  Titmore 

I09-]Highneld 
113.) 

no.)  Wallingford 
112. J  Lands, 

in.  Norman   Moor 
Copse. 


1 68.  Coleman's 

Ground. 

170.  Gt.  Burville 

171.  Drudge  Close 
172. 


173. 


Culmerwood 


174. 

182.  Highwood  Gully 
187.  Grimmer's    Bank 
203.  The  A.  Clump 
214.]  Broom  Close  and 
2i5.f     Gully 

216.  Oaken  Ground 

217.  Tyler's  Pightle 


INDEX. 


A. 

Abercrombie,  Sir  Ralf 
Abingdon 

,,    Abbey  of  103 


...  148 
...  106 
105,  107, 
108,  118 
...  107 
156,  157,  187 
...  156 
...  147 

...      135 
1 66 


Charters 

"  A  "  Clump,  The 
Acrevita  Spring 
Adam  Brothers 
Adventurers 
Affeerers 
Affidavit     (Burial    in    Woollen) 

Form  of      88 

Aischepull,  John            ...          ...  164 

Aldbourn,  Co  Wilts       23 

Aldermaston     4,  46,  92,  106,  112,  113, 

127,  132,  149,  156,  158,  159,  169, 

172,  182 

Aldermaston  Mead        ...          ...  160 

East  Mead           ...  186 

,,             Parish      ...          ...  174 

,,             Park         ...          ...  132 

Aldridge,  Thomas          ...          ...  162 

Alestan                ...          ...          ...  109 

Alexander  of  Paddeworth        ...  35 

Allen,  Richard  and  Charlotte  ...  96 

Allotment,  Deed  of       ...          ...  173 

All  Souls'  College  of      ...         144,  148 

Altar  Rails        18 

„      Slab          ...          18 

Stone       18 

A  Small 17 

„      Table       18 

,,      Wooden 18 

Altar  of  St.  Nicholas 17 

,,        Our  Lady        ...          ...  17 

Amice  or  Amis  ...          ...          ...  81 

Angle,  William  ...          ...  55,  85 

Anthony  a  Blackmore ...          ...  81 

Antiquaries,  Society  of             ...  3 

Anunciation,  Feast  of  ...          ...  165 

Ap  Jeun,  Maurice  David          ...  44 

Appledonway     ...          ...          ...  82 

Apse,  The     i,  2,  3,  7,  9,  10,  n,  14,  21 

Arable  Fields 161 

Archdeacon  of  Berks 46 

Archives  of  Berks         i 

,,             Diocesan    ...          ...  72 


PAGE. 

Arlat,  George     ...  ...             54,  78 

Arlett      47 

,,      Abraham  ...          ...       95 

,,      Anne        ...  ...          ...       79 

,,      Edward   ...  ...          ...        54 

,,      George     ...  ...         167,  168 

Arslet,  John       ...  47,  137,  167 

,,        Thomas  ...          ...       46 

Aston  Rowant  ...  ...          ...       98 

Attehurst,  William  de  ...      118 

Atte  Milne,  Robert  ...          ...       41 

Atte  Ostre,  Richard      118 

Aumbey,  An      ...  ...          ...        10 

Aunger,  John     ...  ...          ...       40 

Avvoi,  Thomas  ...             48,  54 

Avord,  Nicholas  ...          ...      168 

B. 

Baker,  Dr.          51 

Baker,  William  ...  50,  51 

Balding,  William  ...  55,  100 

Baldwin,  Richard  and  Sarah  ...       97 

Baldwin,  Thomas          97 

Banastre,  Constance     in 

Banastre,  Sir  William in 

Baptisms  ...     70,  71,  72,  73,  75 

Baptist,  St.  John  i,  65,  117,  181 

Barefoot,  J 55 

Barfield 186 

Barton  Stacey,  Co.,  Hants        43,  116 


Basilicas,  Roman 
Basing  House  ... 
Basingstoke 

Bath        

Bath  Road 

Bath  and  Wells,  Bishop  of 

Bartholomew,  Thomas 

Beachastas 

Bearfoot,  Ann    ... 


2 
171 


96,    173 

149,  173,  186 
39 

.  181 
.  187 
.  99 


Beauchamp,  Richard,  Bishop  of 

Salisbury    ...  12,  121,  122 

Beenham     4,  7,  78,  85,  137,  160,  171, 

172,  174,  186 

Parish  Register      ...      162 
Belcher,  Mr.  John         ...  88,  90 

Elizabeth         88 

Belfry,  The         ...       4,  12,  20,  21,  23 
Bell,  Charles  IT.  24 


INDEX. 


Bell,  Commonwealth    ... 

„  Tenor  

Bells  

,,  Inscriptions  on  ... 
Benedictine  Monks 


PAGE. 
24 

'  24 
23 
23 

I03 


,,  ,,     House  of  32,  105 

Benefactors        ...          ...          ...       78 

Benches,  Oak 20 

Benny,  John  and  Sarah  ...       89 

Ben  yon,  De  Beauvoir,  Mr.       ...      113 

Herbert,  Mr 113 

Benyon,  Mr.,  of  Englefield         23,  156 

Mr.  Richard 178 

Berkshire  ...  2,  118,  119 

„  Archdeacon  of        ...       96 

Bernerde,  George          46 

Bernghby,  Parson  of 120 

Billimore.William          ...  93..  184 

Bisham,  Co.  Berks        ...  41,  59 

Bishops  ...          ...          ...          ...        76 

Bishop,  A  figure  of       15 

Bishop's  Vestments      ...  15,  1 6 

Black  Death      119 

Blackman  79 

Susan  78 

Thos.        26,  27,  82,  83,  92 

„          William       92 

Blackmore  Close  187 

Bocher,  William  44 

Bones,  Human  ...  30,  68,  183 

Borderers  no 

Boroughbridge,  Battle  of        ...     117 
Bostock,  Rev.  John      ...         ...     172 

Bounds,  Beating  the 94 

Bourbon  Flag 115 

Bowell,  Farmer  81 

Bowyers,  Company  of  ...     133 

Boyles,    Sarah  and  William    ...       92 

Bradfyld  128 

Bradfield,  Manor  of      ...          ...      122 

Bramley  Church  ...         ...       20 

Bramleys  ...          ...          ...      186 

Brewers  Lease  Copse 187 

Brewery  ...          ...          ...      151 

Brightwell,  Family  of  ...      179 

„  Lord  of  the  Manor  6 

Mr.       Si,   134,   136,   137, 

141,  163,  168,  169 


PAGE. 

Brightwell,  Mrs.  Anna          26,  28,  58 

,,  Ann  ...  82,  144 

Mrs.  Elizabeth        26,  27, 

28,  58,  61,  62,  91,  139, 

144,  146,  156,  181 

Hannah     ...  58,  139 

„  Holyman 136 

,,  John  ...          ...      133 

,,  Loftus     10,    22,    26,    28, 

50,  58,   59,  60,  61,  62, 
80,   81,    91,    139,    140, 

Hi,  143 

Mary     58,  59,  60,  61,  79, 
80,  144,  145 

Richard,  Will  of  ...       45 

Samuel     26,   28,   49,    58, 

60,  78,  79,  82,  136,  137, 

138,  139,  141,  143,  158, 

170 

Susannah,  Mrs.  26,  28, 
58,  60,  61,  So,  91,  139, 

144,  147 

Thomas  22,  26,  27,  58, 
61,  63,  78,  79,  82,  87, 
132,  133,  135-  136,  137, 

139,  140,   143,  147,166, 

167 

Brightwell  Monuments             ...  13 

Brimpton            182 

Brimsdon,  Daniel  and  Ann     ...  93 

Bristol     ...          ...          ...          ...  141 

Bristow,  Mr.       ...          ...          ...  51 

British  Topography,  Cough's  52 

Broad  Close        186 

Brocas,    Bernard           183 

Mrs 184 

Brokesbourn,  Richard  de        ...  38 

Brookman          82 

Broom  Close  and  Gully            ...  187 

Brough,  Co.  York          53 

Broughton,  John           167 

Brown,    John  and  Mary       51,  52,  55 

Browne's  Lane  ...          ...          ...  186 

Browne's  Poole  ...          46,  130 

Briant's  Stile     169 

Buckinghamshire           ...          ...  133 

Buckland,  William        79 

Bucklebury        172 


INDEX. 


Bucklebury  Church       ...          ...         8 

Common    ...          ...      156 

,,  Manor  of   ...          ...      160 

Buckler,  Mr 10 

Bucknell,  J.  P.  55 

Burfield 129 

Lane 51 

,,          or  Lye  Furlong  ...      160 

Burgess,    Family  of      ...          ...       30 

Giles  and  Elizabeth  90 

Burials    ...  7 L  75,  77,  97 

Burman,  John  ...          ...          ...      181 

Burshew,  John  ...          ...  45,  129 

Burrough  Hill 169 

Burt,  Roger        169 

Burville,  Great 187 

Bushey,  Ruff  House     66 

Butcher's  Close  187 

Butler,  James 54,  55 

William  ...       53,  70,  99 

Mr 77,  95 

Mr.,  Copy  of  Register  77 

Butterworth,  Robert    ...  49,  79 

Byflete,  John 129 

Byles,  Francis 99 

C. 

Calais      124 

Calleva  Atrebati  ...         105,152 

Calve's  Lease     169,  1 86 

Canada 140 

Canal,  Kennet  and  Avon         141,  173 
Cancellum  ...          ...          ...         2 

Canterbury,  Archbp.  Chicheley 

144,  148 

,,  Archbishopric     ...      145 

Cathedral  ...      144 

Carleton,  Lancelot    50,  52,  86,  87,  88, 

89,  90,  91,  175 

90 

54,  78 

164 

164,  165 

169 

164,  166 
169 


,,        Mary 
Carter,  Edward 
,,        Richard.. 
Robert 
Mr 

Thomas 
Carter's  Cross 
Carucate,  A 
Ceiling,  Plaster 


Census  ...  ...          ...          ...      150 

Cerisy,  Abbey  of  St.  Vigor       ...        33 
Champion,  John  ...          ...        93 

Chancel       i,   2,    3,   7,   8,    12,   20,   21 
,,          Arch     ...  14,  15,  21 

Chancery  Bill 78 

Chapel,  Private  74 

Chapters,  Cathedral      76 

Charles  the  First          18,  48,  143,  182 

,,  Second     49,  76,  124,  134 

Charles  Edward,  Pretender     ...       92 

Charlwood,  Charles       55 

Chersley  133 

Chest  Iron          183 

Chicheley,  Ann     26,   28,   61,   62,   63, 

91,  144,  145,  147 

Dr.  Richard        28,  6 1,  62, 

144,  145 

,,  Archbishop 

Chrism,  Oil  of    ... 
Christchurch,  Canon  of 
Christening 
Cissa 
Church  Plate 


144,  148 
14 

...       96 
77,88 
...     105 
...     134 


...      109 
3,  4,  22 


Churchyard        5,  29,  30,  68,  170,  183 
,,  Rails        ...          ...      101 

Churchwardens   20,25,27,28,71,72, 

78,  79,  82,  83,  84, 

132 

List  of  54,  55 

Chute,  C.  118 

Civil  Wars          ...  76,  132,  176 

Clark,  ffernando  ...         ...     167 

Clarke,  Charles 169 

,,        John       ...  52,  90,  91 

Clayton  and  Bell,  Messrs.        ...       69 

Clerk  Robert 98 

,,      Thomas  ...         ...         ...       44 

Clinton,  William  O.      ...          ...        54 

Coffin  Lid,  Stone  57,  58,  59 

Collee,  Elizabeth  in 

John       in,  112 

,,        Margaret  ...         in,  112 

Stephen...          ...          ...      in 

Thomas  m 

Estates 113 

Colney in 

Cole,  William     ...         ...  53,  178 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Coleman's  Ground         187 

Colston,  Arabella  148 

Combe,    John     ...          ...         164,  165 

Peter 165 

,,  William  ...          ...      164 

Common  Fields  86,  154,  171 

Commoners         ...  155,  161,  163 

Commonwealth,  The  24,  48,  76 

Consecration  Crosses    ...         ...       12 

Congreve,  Mr.   ...  92,  112,  113 

Ralph  184 

,,  William        ...          ...      172 

Congregational  Chapel  ...      152 

Constantine,  Emperor  ...        17 

Cook,  R.  55 

Coppythut          94 

Corde  de  Roy    ...         ...         ...     115 

Cordrey,    Edmund        ...         ...     164 

John 164,  165 

Cornish  Fellow 50 

Coronation,  Her  Majesty's      ...     100 
Corunna,  Battle  of        ...  65,  148 

Cottages  pulled  down  ...     157 

Cotterell,  George  and  Elizabeth        97 
Cotton  Browne,  Rev.  G.  C.     ...       70 

Mrs 70 

Coster  Lane        ...         ...         ...     169 

Court  Baron    121,  122,  123,  135,  139, 

167 

Court  Rolls    123,  136,  137,  139,  155, 

163,  166 
Cowdrays     6,  57,  114,  127,  133,  170 

Manor          114 

Cowdray,  Agnes  ...         116,  118 

„  Dorothy         ...          ...      122 

,,  Edward          ...          ...      121 

Elizabeth       123 

Fulc  or  Fulke  de  114,  115, 
1 16,  120 

„  Richard          ...         117,  118 

„  Sir  Henry      ...         120,  121 

Joan  12,  119,  120,  123 

John 122 

,,  Juliana  ...          ...      118 

,,  Lucy  ...          ...         117, 

Margery 


Maud 
Peter 


119 

...      123 

12 

21,     Il6,     Il8,     121, 
123,    124,    129,    159 


PAGE. 

Cowdray,  Philippa         122 

Ralf 117 

Thomas     117,119,120,121 
William          ...          ...       41 

Cox,  George       55 

Cradle  Roof       3 

Crimea  ...          ...          ...      148 

Crimean  Campaign        ...          ...       66 

Cromersh  (Co.  Ox.),  Parson  of         47 
Cromwell  ...          ...          ...       71 

Crookham  Common      ...          ...      182 

Crosses,  Consecration   ...  12,  13 

Crucifixion,  Painting  of  7,  u,  21 

Crusade  ...         ...         ...         ...         i 

Culmerwood       187 

Cumb,  John  de...         ...         ...       38 

Thomas  de        ...     36,  37,  38 
Cummins,  William  and  Ann    ...       94 

Cunning  Man,  The        157 

Cunny  Burrowes  ...         ...     158 

Curates,  List  of  ...         ...       54 

Curtis,  Mr.         ...         ...          5,  7,  53 

„        F.  H 54 

,,        George  William  ...       53 

Miss        ...         ...  20,  185 

„        P.  W.     ...  ...       54 

Cymri      ...          ...          ...          ...      105 

Cynete  (Kennet)  ...         104,  105 

D. 

Daintry,  Daniel  and  Sarah      ...       89 

Damas  Field      187 

Danes      108 

Daniels,  Richard  ...          ...       95 

Darby,  Admiral  ...          ...       64 

Darby,  Griffith,  General  Matthew 

Chitty     -.          ...      148 

Major  164 

Darweston,  Church  of  ...         ...       37 

Darlyng,  John   ...          ...  39,  40 

Davies,    John     27,  28,  29,  52,  83,  92, 

94,  97 

Ann      94 

Davison,  Elizabeth  and  William     1 2  5 

Dawe,  Thomas 129 

Day,  James        ...         ...         ...       55 

Deacon,  William  ...  54,  55 

Dean,  William  ...  48,  54,  55,  7& 


INDEX. 


Decies,  Barony  of          ...          ...      135 

D'Eu  (Comte) no 

Devizes   ...          ...          ...          ...      148 

M.P.  for  65 

Deyster,  William  43 

Dicker,  Martha  91 

Diocesan  Records          ...          ...  i,  76 

Diocese,  Bishop  of         ...          ...       72 

Dixon,  Robert 49,  79 

Dodwell,  Archdeacon   ...          ...       95 

Doe,  George  Loftus       156 

Sam  156,  157 

Doiley  Close       187 

Domesday  Book     105,  107,  108,  114, 

US,  125,  175 

Donations  to  Poor        ...          ...  25 

Doorways           ...          ...          ...  4 

Dore,  Elizabeth             92 

Drain,  Vaulted 179 

Drudge  Close     187 

Dryden 171 

Duck's  Nest       186 

Duncan,  Dr 153 

Dunch,  Edmund            137 

Du   Porte,   or   Poorte,    Henry  34 

Dunstan              106 

Field 160 

Dunston  Field 186 

Duty    on    Births,    Deaths    and 

Marriages 95 

E. 

Eadric 103,  104 

Eadwig   ...          ...          ...          ...      1 06 

East  India  Company 137 

East  Mead          16,84,186 

East  Wall  11 

East  Window 10,21,70 

of  Porch  ...       69 

Ederic 104 

Edgar      104,  106 

Edred      108 

Edward  the  Confessor     104,  107,  108, 

109 

Edward  the    First         ...       1,33,116 
Third        ...  33,  39 

Fourth     ...     33,   34,   35 
Sixth       12,  45,  128,  181 


PAGE. 

Edwards,  Joseph  ...          ...        53 

Mary  ...          ...       97 

Edwin     ...          ...          ...          104,  108 

Edwy      ...        103,  104,  106,  107,  108 
Eirard     ...          ...  108,  114,  115 

Eldridge,  Thomas          ...          ...      169 

Elfled      104,  106 

Elflidius  106 

Elgiva     ...          ...          ...          ...      1 06 

Elizabeth,  Queen         12,  22,  124,  137 

Ellisfield,  Gilbert  de     118 

Elliot,  Thomas 55 

Emmens,  Richard         ...          ...       55 

Englefield  ...        4,  129,  164,  171 

Ann  ...          ...       91 

Barnard       ...          ...        56 

George  and  Elizabeth     89 
Henry          ...         167,  171 

Englefield,  Parish  of     85 

,,  Parson  of    ...          ...      112 

Enclosure  Act    ...  172,  173.  1 86 

Endowment       ...          ...          ...       20 

Essex,  Lord        182 

Ethelred  108 

Eton    College 33 

,,      Provost  and  Fellows  34,  35 

Evans,  Sir  Hugh  42 

Mr.  ...       47 

Robert ...       47 

William  ...  25,  100 

Evangelical  Society      ...         153,  154 
Evor,  Thomas    ...          ...          ...       48 

Exedra  2 

F. 

Faccombe  123,  124 

Faleys,  Master  Nicholas  de  la         37 

ffalkner,  Ralf     51,  176 

Richard  80 

Faulkner's — Old  House  of  the        156 

Faulkner,   F 28,  55 

Margery       79 

Ralph  ...  79,  94 

Thomas        ...  54,  55 

Fenchurch  Street,  London       ...       65 

Fetcham  Park,  Co.  Surrey       ...       65 

fficas,  ffickes,  ffickas     80 

.,      John  54,  84,  85 

„      Richard   ...          ...          ...      169 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

PAGE. 

Folliat's  Lands  

129 

Green,  Mrs.  Rachel       ...             67,  99 

Fifhilde,  or  Fifield,  Sir  Thomas 

120 

Gregorie's  House           ...         ...     167 

Finchampstead 

2 

Grenadier  Guards          ...             65,  98 

Fleccher,  Elizabeth       

181 

Grey,  Thomas    ...                  48,  78,  85 

Flemyng,  Thomas 

40 

Griffith,  Mrs  26,  96 

Flour  ...              

151 

Griffith,  Mrs.  Ann         ...          ...       91 

Font 

e 

Mrs.  Arabella         65    69    140 

j 

Forster,  Sir  Humphrey  127,  135, 

136, 

„        Mrs.  Catherine      53,   63,  64, 

139,  1  66,  167,  168, 

I69 

65,  97,  98,  144,  H8 

Forum,  Roman 

2 

,,        Christopher     27,  62,  63,  64, 

Fossils,  Berkshire          

52 

65,  69,  91,  93,  144,  145, 

Franceis,  Nicholas 

38 

146,  147,  148,  183 

Freeman... 

1  06 

Christopher  Darby      5  5     70 

Fryston,  Richard           

43 

140,  148 

Fulling  Mill        

175 

General  Darby           ...       65 

Funeral  Urn,  British    ... 

178 

Major  Darby  ...             28,  30 

,,        Mrs.  Darby     ...          ...        n 

G. 

Major  George  Darby            70 

Gallery,  The       

25 

Mrs.  George  Darby    ...        70 

,,        Inscription  on  ...             2c 

.  25 

Major    General    Henry 

Gatehampton,  Manor  of 

117 

Darby          148 

George  the  First           

50 

General  Matthew  Chitty 

Second       ...           52, 

171 

Darby               98,  148,  172 

,,           Third          ...           42, 

183 

WTilliam            ...             46,  83 

Fourth       

53 

Grim  (Saxon  word)       ...          ...      152 

George,  Seba      155, 

1  68 

Grimmer's  Bank                106,  152,  187 

\Villiam                               5  5 

17O 

Grisail                                                      69 

»  /y 

Gibbet  Piece 

i8d. 

KJ^f 

Giles,  Hew         

51 

Robert  and  Amy 

87 

H. 

Glazier's  Company 

125 

Hagpit    172,  186 

Glastonbury,  Abbot  of 

I  06 

Hailstorm,  A      183 

Glebe      

48 

Hains,  Anne       ...                      ...       92 

Land        

T"W 

84 

Hain,  Hugh        ...          ...         168,  169 

Gnoushale,  John 

42 

Halom,  Mr.         ...          ...          ...      138 

Goode,  Mr.  Marmaduke 

134 

Halfpenny,    Broad   and   Lower     187 

Goodall,  George       49,  50,  80,  81 

,  86 

Halls  of  Justice,  Roman           ...     2,3 

Jane     50 

),  81 

Hampshire          ...             118,  123,  124 

Goodbody,  Sir  William              54, 

129 

,,             Visitation  of             80,  81 

Good  Friday      

51 

Hanbury,  Mr.    ...          ...         141,  142 

Bread       

185 

Hankey,  Thomas,  Esq.             ...       65 

Gorham,  Mr. 

141 

Harborough       142 

Gozelin    ... 

TOO 

Harris,  Alfred    55 

Grand  Sergeantry 

X  Vf^ 

115 

,,        Andrew              ...          ...       48 

Graye,  Thomas 

47 

J  55 

Great  Western  Railway 

150 

,,         Parson  ...          ...          ...       48 

»             ,,             ,,     Company 

172 

Harrison,  James            ...          ...      136 

Green  Hill          

187 

„           Mr.  John       ...         136,  167 

INDEX. 


PAGE. 

PAGE. 

Hartley,    Ann    ...          ...          ...      172 

Hoese,  John  de  la         ...         no,  in 

Winchcombe              ...      172 

Henry  de  la       115 

Hartley,    Wyntney,  Prioress  of       118 

,,        Nicholas  de  la  ...          ...      in 

Haslett,  John    47 

Peter  de  la        ...         in,  112 

,,           William            ...          ...      164 

Holes,  Thomas  167,  168 

Hatch  Farm     151,  155,  158,  159,  178 

Holland  65,  148 

Hawkins             ...          ...          ...       47 

Holloway,  Elizabeth     92 

George           46 

Holly  Copse       187 

John  98 

Holy  Land          ...          ...          ...        17 

Thomas  and  Elizabeth      95 

Home   Farm      157 

William          ...             91,  93 

,,        Close      ...          ...          ...      177 

Heath  Lands      151 

Hore,  Anne        ...          ...          ...      137 

Hemus,  Dr.  John            53,  54,  66,  67 

Horton,  William            46 

D.  C.,  Esq.             67,  98,  172 

Hounslow,  Co.  Middlesex           59,  140 

Mrs.  Rachel             66,  67,  68 

House,  William              ...         167,  1  68 

Henchman,  Francis      ...          ...        53 

Hungerford         ...          ...          ...      173 

Henry  the  Third           127 

Hunter,  Henry  Lannoy            ...      184 

,,           ,,    Fourth        ...           41,  144 

Huntingdon,  Countess  of         ...      154 

„    Fifth            33 

Husseborne,  Henry       40 

,,    Sixth           ...      33,  42,  44 

Hurstbourne  Priors       80 

,,    Seventh       14,  44,  45,  133 

Hussee's  Manor        110,  in,  113,  136 

„    Eighth      45,  71,  144,  164, 

171,  178 

171,  181 

Hughes,  Mrs.      ...          ...          ...      145 

Heriot,  The  Lord's        166 

Hyde,  Mr.  James           163 

Herne,  William  and  Elizabeth          95 

Hertford,  Earl  of           117 

Heryerd  or  Herriard     118 

. 

Maud  de          ...          ...      1  14 

Ildesley  of  Stoak           ...          ...      136 

„        Nicholas           ...          ...      114 

Ilsley,  William  164 

Roger  de          ...          ...      114 

Inge,  Hildebrand           ...          ...       40 

Living  of         117 

Ingelfield,  Barnard        ...          ...       56 

Manor  of  114,  115,  117,  120, 

Ingemede              ...      165 

121,    122,    124 

Ingulfeld             ...          ...          ...      165 

High  Altar          182 

Injunction,  Royal         ...             71,  74 

Highfield             187 

Innes,  William  86 

Highwood  Gully             ...          ...      187 

Inoculation  Cottage      ...          ...      176 

Hildesley,  Mr.   ...          ...          ...      169 

Institutions,  Register  of           ...       78 

Christopher              ...        47 

Inventory,  Littlefield   ...          ...      131 

Richard       ...         167    171 

Ireland       .                                             135 

Hill,  John           55 

Iremonger,  M.  W.          ...          ...       55 

Hinton,  Giles     139 

Hobbs,  Edward             56 

Hobson,  Robert             ...          ...       45- 

J- 

Hoby,  Edward  ...          ...          ...        59 

James  the  First...          ...           47,  140 

Hockly  Gully  and  Close            ...      187 

James,  Mary      ...          ...          ...      172 

Hoese,    Howse,    Huse,    Hussee, 

Jefferson,  John              ...          ...        52 

Hussey  —  Table  of  Descent       in  9 

Jervoise,  Mr.      ...          ...          ...      114 

Hoese,  Agatha...          ...          ...      in 

Julian  Account  or  Old   Style         90 

INDEX. 


69 
167 
133 
141 


K. 

Kempe,  C.  E.,  Esq.       ...          ... 

Kendrick,  Thomas,  Gent         ... 
Kennet,  The  River  86,  105, 

Kennet  and  Avon  Canal  ... 

Valley          130,  157,  169,  176, 
182,  186 

Kenneth  Bishop  of  Peterborough     143 
Kentfield  .........       82 

Kilcale,  John     ...          ...  40,  41 

Kilmarsh,  Co.  Northampton    141,  142 


PAGE. 

36,  37 


Church 

Kilton,  Co.  Somerset 
Kimble,  Mary    ...          .. 

King  David 
King's  Birthday 
„        Coronation  Day 
„      *  Highway 
King,  Martha 
»      Mr 
,,      Robert     ...          ... 

Kingston  Blunt  ......... 

Knight,  Henri    ......... 

Knote,  John       ...          ...          ... 

Knox,   Captain  Thomas  Owen 

Louisa  Isabella  ... 

Kydwelleys        ...         ...         ... 

Kydwelly,  Joan  ... 

Mary 

,,          Peter  ... 

,,  William        ... 

Kymrie's  Bank  ... 


L. 

Lamleye,  Adam  de       ... 

Henry 

Lancaster,  Earl  of 
Langford,  Clara 

,,  Edward  ... 
Laud,  Archbishop  ... 
Lawrence,  Mary  ... 

Mrs. 

Thos. 

Lee,  Robert  Elton 
Lee,  Uncle          ...          .... 

Leper's  Window  ... 

Letcombe  Regis,  Co.  Berks 
Letters  Patent 


143 
38 

.   168 
69 
100 
.  100 
165 
93 
137 
49,  79 
98 
23 
165 
66 

...   66 
...  124 
123,  128 
124 

123,  128 
...  124 
...  152 


38 

38 

117 

122 

122 

18 

79 

177 

137 

54 

145 

8 

40 
183 


132, 


Leukelond,  Alexander  de 

Lewier     ... 

Lewington,  Moses  and  Mary    ... 

Leyghton,  William 

Lincoln,  Bishop  of 

Lincoln's  Inn 

Linley  Four  Acre  

Lipscombe,  History  of  Burks  . . . 

Lislebon,  Sir  John 

Littlefield,  Lyttelfeld  or  Lytty- 

fyld, 

,,         Family  table  of 
Littlefield,  Adam 

Alice 

Elizabeth     ... 

George         55,  78 

129,  131,  132,  159 

George,  alias  Turner      125 

James          47,  54,  78,  129, 
130 

Jane  

,,  John    17,  43,  44,  124,  128, 

132,  138,  168,  169 

John,  alias  Turner         129 

Margaret 

Mr.   ... 

Robert 
,,          Thomas 

William 


90 

43 
144 
138 
1  86 
133 
121 


180 
127 
133 
130 

...      132 
86,  127, 


132 
131 


...  130 
...  170 
129,  130 
...  181 


128,  129, 


130, 

132 

10 


Locker,  or  Cupboard  or  Aumbry 

Lodge  Farm       151 

Loftus,  John       58,  138 

Joshua 58 

London  ...          ...          ...         125,  173 

Citizen  and  Bowyer  of     132 
,,        Citizen      and      Wood- 
monger        ...          ...          ...      132 

Longe,  Goodwife  ...          ...       46 

Loose  Leaves,  The  77,  80,  82,  83 

Lord  Protector 1 34 

Lot  Meadows     ...         161 

Lotting  Book 161 

Lovelock,  Elisha  and  Sarah     ...       96 

Luteiton  58,  138 

Lych  Gate          30 

Lye,  Furlong  or  Burghfield      160,  186 

Ly ford,  Manor  of  117 

Lyllynton,  John  43 


INDEX. 


M. 


Madogge,  M.  A. 
Maggyshaw 
Maidenhead 
Maison  Dieu 
Malke,  Thomas 


47 
187 
184 

35 
164 


Manor  House  124,  133,  136,  150156, 

163,  179 


Manor,  Common  of  the 
Manor  Court 
Manor,  Lady  of... 


170 

164 

23 


Manor,  Lord  of 


31,  154,  155,  158, 
162 
187 


Mam  Hill 

Marlborough,  The  Duke  of      ...      115 

Marriage  Act      ...          ...          ...       74 

Marriages  ...          ...  71,  75 

Marsh,  Humfrey  158 

Marshall   Hamlet          ...          ...       47 

William          46 

Martin's  Orchard  169 

Martyn,  John     ...          ...          ...       41 

Marvin,  Sir  John  27 

Lady 25,  27 

Mary        ...          ...          ...          138,  139 

Mary  Tudor,  Queen     ...          ...      128 

Queen  of  Scots  ...          ...      171 

Maskal,  John     ...          ...          ...       92 

Matthews,  William        ...          ...      139 

May,  Mathew  54,  56,  86,  89,  97 

McGrath 97 

Mead  Lands       186 

Mears  and  Stainbank  ...          ...       24 

Megroh,  John  and  Frances      ...       97 
Memorial  Inscriptions  ...       69 

Mere  Ridges       ...          ...          ...      161 

Meyle,  Michael 38 

Miles,  David       ...          ...          ...       44 

Mill    Field  160,  186 

House        ...          ...          ...      176 

Padworth  ...         1 33,  175 

Miller,  John        83 

Mills        109,  125,  175 

Mills,  John          79,  137 

Milles,  John        ...          ...          ...       54 

Minister  ...          ...          ...       71,  72,  73 

Minstead,  Co.  Hants     ...          ...       43 

Miracle,  Story  of  ...         ...       17 


Miry  Pightle       

Missenden,  Co.  Bucks  ... 

Little 

Money,  Mr.  Walter 
Monger,  George  and  Jane 

Robert  and  Sarah 
Monumental  Inscriptions 
Mompesson,  Sir  John  ... 
Morgan,  James 
Morley,   Edward 

Thomas 

Mortimer    

, ,        Common 

West  End  Chapel 
Moore,  Sir  John 
Mount,  Mr. 
Moyle,  Michael  ... 
Mulsho,  Manor  of 

William 

Mulford,  Mr.  John 
Mylles,  John 
Myra 


PAGE. 
..          I87 

59.-  140 
1 40 

2 

,..          87 
,..          89 

57 
27 

...  184 
...  168 
...  46 
...  160 
184 
154 
148 

183 
39 
117 

120 
153 
46 
17 


153, 


Nameless  Dead,  The     68 

Napoleon  ...          ...          ...      148 

Napper 80 

„        Samuel       167,  168,  169,  170 
,,        Thomas  ...          ...      168 

Nave,  The  ...          ...  3,  6,  12 

Roof  Of 22 

Neale,  John       ...         ...  54,  89 

Neirunt,  John    ...          ...          ...  115 

Nell  tooling  for  late  King         ...  100 

Newbury                    141,  147,  149.  173 

Battle  of        182 

Newtown  House            ...          ...  147 

Nicea,  Council  of           ...          ...  17 

Nicholas  II.,  Pope,  Taxation  of  i 

Nigelle         109 

Nittingale  Lands           ...          ...  129 

Nonconformists...          ...          ...  74 

Norman  Arch     ...          ...          ...  3 

Architecture   ...          ...  2 

Conquest          108 

Norman  Moor 187 

Normandy          124 

Normer  Coppice             i6q 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

PAGE. 

North  Door         

4          Padworth,  Cure  of 

90 

North,  Thomas  and  Martha    ... 

95 

Estates             64, 

127,    133 

North  Windows             ...             69 

.  7° 

Farm               129, 

1  60,  1  86 

Northamptonshire 

138                   „           Gully               149, 

166,  182 

Nutcher's  Mead              

1  86 

House          48,  65, 

98,  147, 

179,  183 

0. 

Living  of     ... 

44,  134 

Oar  Close 

1  86                   if           Manor  of         74, 

116,  117, 

Oars,  The           

1  86 

1  19,  122,  124, 

126,  127, 

Oak  Bar  or  Staple       

4 

128,  159, 

1  66,  1  68 

„    Panels        

20                   ti          Manors 

...      137 

„    Seats          

25                   „          Mill  

...      130 

Oaken  Ground  

187                   tt          Parish  of    74,  75, 

76,  136, 

Odo,  Archbishop            ...         104, 

1  06                                                       1  60, 

174,  176 

Offmgton,  Robert  de    ... 

115                   ,,           Parishioners 

...       98 

Old  Farm           151, 

177                   „           Park                 144, 

178..  182 

Old  Style            

9°                   „           Parson  of    ... 

45,  1  80 

Onslow,  Dr. 

96                  ,,          Parsonage   ... 

...       84 

Orleton,  Adam,  Bishop  of  Win- 

Poor of 

172,  173 

chester 

118 

Population  of 

...      150 

Ornamental  Tiles          

20 

Rectors 

32  to  54 

Overseer  of  the  Poor     27,  28,  79, 

82, 

Rectory 

92,  152 

83 

,84 

Road 

...     173 

Overseers,  List  of          

55 

Squire  of     ... 

27 

Overton,  John  de 

38 

„          Warren 

...      172 

Ow,  William  de             ...          109, 

no 

Page,  Frederick 

...     172 

Oxenheath          158, 

159 

Pam  Hall            ...              29, 

177,  187 

Oxford  Diocese              ...             32 

.  53 

Pamber  Priory  ... 

32 

County  of 

98 

,,       Church 

20 

Pannell's  Churchyard  ... 

...        101 

P. 

Paragium 

...      108 

Paad  or  Pad       

105          Parish  Act         

73 

Paddeworthe    j 

,,         Bounds  of          ... 

...     169 

Paddesworth    L              

i°5 

Church  ...               i  to  31,  179 

Padeworth        | 

,,        Clerks,  List  of  ... 

...       56 

Padworth        2,  14,  19,  24,  26,  27 

29,              ,,        Council  

28 

46,  72,  78,  84,  85,  94,  106, 

107,              ,,        Map  o*  

101 

in,  113,  114,  115,  *i6,  121, 

122, 

Parkyns,  John  ... 

112 

133,  136,  140,  141,  148,  156, 

1  60, 

,,         Richard 

...          27 

164,  169,  171, 

172 

,,        Thomas 

112,    113 

Paddeworth,  Alexander  de 

35 

Parliament         

...       132 

Padworth,  Benefactor  of 

83 

Act  of        ...      72,73.75 

Bridge          

183 

Member  of 

...       148 

,,           Church  of    37,  46,  92, 

130, 

Parliamentary  Troops 

...       182 

134,  137,  140,  147, 

184          Parr,  Mrs.           

70 

Churchyard 

84 

,,           Common         149,  154, 

177          Parson's  Copse  

...      166 

Croft             

178          Parsonage  Home 

...       84 

INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Pascoe     ...          ...          ...          ...  99 

Path,  A  new  in  Churchyard    ...  31 

Patron  Saint      ...          ...          ...  i 

Paulet,  Elizabeth           123 

Richard...          ...          ...  123 

Pea  Close            187 

Peada,  Peadanwurthe,  Peaden- 

wurthe,  Peadanwyrthe  103,  104, 

i°5 
Pearce,  Elizabeth  and  Robert...       79 

Peat  Hags  174,  186 

Pennell,  Mr 153,  154 

Perces  House 169 

Perkins   ...          ...          ...          ...        74 

,,          Charles  ...          ...      184 

ffrancis  ...         167,  169 

,,          Francis  ...          ...      171 

John    ...  ...       75 

M  Mr-  136,      137,      162,      163 

Mrs.  Ann         ...          ...      136 

Squire  of  Ufton         156,  177 
,,          Thomas  ...          ...      164 

Perkins'  Farm 178 

Peteorde  ...  105,  107,  1 08 

Robert  de      ...          ...      114 

William  de    ...          ...      114 

Pettyford  ...          ...          ...       99 

Picket  Close       187 

Piddle 84 

Pinnocke,  Thomas        78 

Piscina    ...          ...  9,  10,  17,  22 

Pleck,  Little       187 

Plowden,  Mrs.    ...          ...          ...      145 

Poor's  Land       101,186 

Poorte,  Henry 34 

Porch,  The         5 

Porchmouth       ...          ...          ...       80 

Port,  Henry  Du ...          ...  32,  34 

Portsmouth        ...          ...          ...       80 

Walter     ...  54,  85 

Pound  Green      158 

Powell,  William  ...  48,  79 

Prior,  Roman  Catholic  family         177 

„      Francis    ...          27,  55,  96,  177 

„      Mr 28 

Priories,  Alien    ...          ...          ...       33 

Purification,  Feast  of   ...          ...      165 

Puttenham,  George       ...          ...      123 

Pydman's  Croft  ...         ...     165 


Q- 

Queen  Anne       ...          ...          ...        50 

Queen  Anne's  Bounty  ...      173 

Queen  Elizabeth  45,  71,  78,  171 

Royal  Table          80 

Queen's  College  35 

„        Hall      ...  ...       35 

,,        Messenger        ...          ...      157 

Queen  Victoria 42,  53 

Questmen  86 

Quinton,  Rectory  of     40 


R. 

Rabbit  Warren 
Rack  Mead 
Ramsbury,  Vicar  of 
Ratcliffe,  R.  C. 
Reading 


158 

175 
37 
55 


141,  149,  173 

Abbey  144 

,,          Mercury  ...          ...      100 

„          Museum  3,  178,  184 

Rector  of  Pad  worth         20,  23,  25,  28 
Rectors,  List  of...          ...         32  to  54 

,,        Parish  of  Ufton  ...      134 

Rectory  Pad  worth  48,  150,  178 

Recusants,  Popish         ...          ...       74 

Reformation,  The       7,  12,  i8,-ig,  22 

Registers,  Bishops'       ...  32,  45 

,,          Chersley        ...         ...     133 

,,          Diocesan        ...  36,  75 

Register,  Parish  Padworth 

71  to  TOO,  147 
,,        Books  ...          ...71,  72 

Padworth         77,  88 

„       Old        75,  76,  77,  99 

Registers,   Printed        ...  74,  77 

,,  Salisbury     ...          ...        39 

,,  Sarum  Diocesan     ...        79 

Remenham         ...          ...          ...         2 

Restoration,  The  24 

Rich,  Rev.  Sir  Charles  ...      172 

Richard  the  Second      ...       33,  39,  40 
Riche,  Gervase  le          ...          ...        35 

Ringing  for  Queen's  Birthday...      100 
Robert  de  Ofnngton     ...          ...      115 

Rogers,  Mr.  John          ...          ...      100 

Roman    Bricks  ...          ...        1 1 

,,        Capital  ...          ...        ii 


INDEX. 


Road 

Rondon,  Sir  John,  Knight 

Rood  or  Crucifix 

Screen      

Rose's  Act          

Round  Meadow 
Oak,  The 

Round  way  Park 

Rowland,  Rev.  Mr. 

Ruddiert,  Sir  Benjamin 

Rupert,  Prince  ... 

Rusheme,  John 

Rythe,  Elizabeth 

Margery        124,  125, 
William        124,  125, 


PAGE. 

105 

112 

19 

19,   22 

75 
...      1 86 

.••  157 

...  148 

...  154 

...  170 

...  182 

...  45 
...  126 
126,  128 
126,  128 


S. 

Sacy,  Emery  de  116 

Saint  Alkmond's,  Derby         ...       71 

Bernard's  College  ...      144 

,.      James',  Westminster     ...      144 

John         n,  19 

John  the  Baptist        I,  65,  117, 
181 

John's  College,  Oxon     ...      142 
.John  of  Jerusalem — Hos- 
pital of  ...          ...       40 

Julian's,  Hospital  of  35,  44 
Mary's,  Stanyng  Lane  ...  38 
Mary's  Church,  Reading  46 
,,  Mary's,  Visitation  held  in  90 
Mildred,  Bread  Street, 

London  133 

Nicholas 15,  16,  17 

Altar  to  ...      128 

,,  .,       Painting  of         21,  39 

,,      Thomas,  Feast  of  ...       83 

Thomas'  Hospital          ...      133 

Vigor  Cerisy,  Abbey  of     32,  33 

George,  Lady     145 

Quintin    Mary 147 

Sir  William       63,  64, 

147 

Salisbury  Cathedral  Church    ...     130 
Salter,  Thomas  ...          ...       43 

Sarum  Cathedral  Church         ...       46 
Registers  ...  52,  53 


Transcripts 

Sayer,   Mrs.  Agnes 
Mary      ... 
Henry    ... 
William 

Scampston,  Co  York 


PAGE. 

75.  76,  77-  79, 

80,  86 

26,  28 

28,  140 

59.  140 

81 

63,  147 


Schoolhouse,  Master  or  Mistress  27 
School,  Mortimer  West  End  ...  152 
Schyrbourne,  Prior  and  Convent 

of 36,  37 

Scots  Greys        .     ...      148 

Scutt,  A.  E.        ...         ...         ...       55 

Sessions  ...          ...          ...          ...       94 

Seyers,  Mrs.  Agnes        80 

Sherborne  ...          ...          ...       39 

,,  Chantry       ...          ...      118 

Convent  of  32,  37 

Cowdray         114,  118,  120 
Manor  of     ...          ...      117 

Priory          ...       33,  35,  39 
St.  John's    ...          ...      1 18 

West,  Co.  Hants    ...        32 

Sherby,  Peter 81 

Sherwood,  Paul...          ...          ...       93 

Shonke,  Richard  ...          ...      164 

Shooter's  Brook  149 

Sidesmen  ...          ...       55,  84,  85 

List  of  55 

Silchester       2,  3,  4,  n,  105,  137,  149 
,,  Church  of    ...          ...        19 

Silver,  Edward  ...  48,  52,  55,  83 

Silver's  Hedge   ...          ...          ...      169 

Silver  Lane         ...          ...         177,  184 

Silvester,  John 73 

Sims,  Steven      167,  1 68 

Skeffington,  John          ...          ...       41 

Skeleton,  A        183 

Skuffel 99 

Sloane,  Sir  Hans  52 

Smith,  A.  J 55 

Steven 169 

Snowstorm,  A    ...          ...          ...         4 

Soil          150 

Somerset  House  ...  46,  180 

Soper,    John       172 

Joseph 56 

R.  H.     ...  ...       55 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Southampton     ...          ...  35.  44 

South  Door         ...          ...          ...  31 

East  Window     ...          ...  70 

,,      Sea  Annuities     ...  26,  28 

,,     Bubble         ...          ...  146 

,,     Speculations            ...  143 

South  Warnboro'           ...          ...  122 

South  Window  ...          ...          ...  70 

of  Nave            ...  69 

Sovathes             ...          ...          ...  84 

Soverley,  Great  and  Little       ...  187 

Speen      ...          ...          ...          ...  105 

Sperkfield,  Jerome        ...          ...  44 

Spertgrove,  Chapel  of  ...          ...  39 

Spire,  A  ...          ...          ...          ...  4 

Springall,  T 49,  79 

Spry,  Archdeacon          ..,          ...  90 

Stacey,  George 56 

Stafford,   John  ...          ...          ...  45 

,,          Mrs.  Mary     ...          ...  75 

Stained  Glass  Windows            ...  69 

Standford  Parish          85 

Stanford  in-the-Vale,  Co.  Berks  54 

Stanshowe,  Jerome       ...          ...  124 

,,               Mary          ...          ...  124 

Stamp  Act          73 

Stapleton,  Sir  Philip 182 

Stephen  ...          ...          ...          ...  108 

Son  of  Eirard...         114,  115 

Stephens,    John             172 

Richard       172 

William       172 

Sterline,  Earl  of            ...           59,  140 

Stevenson,  Mr.  W.  H.  ...         105,  107 

Steven  ton,  Co.  Berks 40 

,,            Gal  fried  or  Geoffrey  43 

Stipto      82 

Stiward,  Nicholas          ...  42,  43 

Stocks,  The        157 

Stone,  Elizabeth            133 

Strange,  Messrs.             174 

„        W.  D.  ...                     ...  55 

Stratfield  Mortimer       159 

,,                 ,,          Registers...  48 

,,                 ,,         Vicarage  of  42 

Stratton,  James             ...          ...  55 

Stream  Dyche 165 

Stroud,   Austin              157 


Stroud,  Jane     

John    ... 

Letter  to 
,,        Thomas 
Stydman,  John 
Style,  Francis    ... 

Su  

Suckling,  Mr. 

Suff          

Sulhamstead      ...  83, 

Abbotts  ... 
Summers,  W.  H. 
Sunday  Evening  Services 
Swyndon,  Thomas  of   ... 
Sylver,  Edward... 
Sylvester,   John  ...       i 

,,          Margery 
Symmes,  Matthew 
Sympson,  William  and  Ann 
Syms,  Beatrice  ... 
Synodsmen 

T. 

Tadley 

Talavera,  Battle  of 

Taler,  Richard 

Temple  Church,  The     ... 
Terrier,  Rectory  Lands        48 

Testa  de  Nevil 

Tetemore 

Tew,  William     ... 

Thatcham  

Theale 

,,        Hundred  of 
Thickas  ... 

Thompson,  Rebecca     ... 
,,  Sir  John    ... 

Thomson,  John 
Tichborne,  Martin 
Tigal,  Ann 
Tilehurst 
Tiles,  Roman 
Timbers,  Oaken 
Titmore  ... 

Tolford 

Toling  Bell  for  late  King 
Tooly,  Ann 
Mr. 


PAGE. 
90 

...   95 

...   96 

90 

...   46 

59,  140 

...   138 

5 

99 

129,  161 
27,  82 

...  153 
...  174 

...  37 

...  78 

,  88,  181 

...  181 

...  46 

...  97 

...  165 

...  85 


127, 


...  153 
...  67 
...  168 

12 

,  84,  178 

110 

165,  169 

...   55 

75,  iiQ 

...  184 

...  149 

80 

...  147 

...  147 

...   46 

132,  159 

...   91 

92 

4 

4 

...   186 

123,  125 

100 

...   141 
...  141 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

81,  142 
81,  139,  I42, 

143 

...        37 
...       84 
...      1 86 
92 

...       54 
...       43 
94 
93 

90,  93 

.    9°,  93,  T7° 
82 

George,  alias  Littlefield  125,  127 
John,  alias  Littlefield  ...  129 
Robert,  alias  Littlefield  ...  130 


Tooly,  Susanna 
Tooley,  Rev.  Thomas 

Toppeclyve,  Richard  of 

Tournay 

Towney  Field     ... 

Trencher,  Mary 

Trevitt,  James  ... 

Trotton,  Co.  Sussex 

Trueblood 

Tull,  Abraham  ... 

,,    Anne 

,,    Richard 
Turner     . 


Tycheborne,  Co.  Hants 
,,  Amphilis    ... 

Sir  Benjamin 
Martin 
Nicholas    ... 

Tyler's  Pightle 

Tyth  Acre  


...  126 
...  127 
126,  127 
126,  127 
...  126 
...  187 
162 


Tythes 5* 

U. 

Ufton         25,  27,  74,  93,  96,  112,  113, 

149 

Ufton  Churchyard         177 

„      Court          27,  74,  92,  112,  177, 
178,  179 

„      Curate  of  92 

„      Manor  of  136 

„      Nervet H5 

„      Parish      29,  132 

„      Park         149 

,.      Robert     113,  JI5 

Manor  of           ...       27 
Urling,  Richard  47 


Vestments,  A  Bishop's 
Vestry     ... 

Virgin,  The  Blessed  .., 
Visitation  Archdeacon's 
Vyne,  The  


...       15 

8,  18 

ii,  19 

94 

114,  118 


W. 

Waborne,  William 
Wake,  Archbishop 
Wallingford  Lands 
Walrod,  William 

Walsingham       

Wantage 

Ward,  John        ...  137, 

Warren,  The 

Warwick,  The  Earl  of  ... 

Wasing 

Wasing  Place     

Water  ford,  County  of  ... 
Waters,  Mr.  Chester     ... 
Webb,  Elizabeth 
,,         John 
Vincent 
William 
Webley,  Robert 

Weddings  

Wellington,  The  Duke  of 

Wells,  James     

Wessex    ... 

West  End  of  Church  ... 
West  End,  Tilehurst  ... 
Westisted,  Co.  Hants  ... 

West  Mead         

Weston,  James  and  Mary 
Wetts,  Mary 
Whaddon,  Co.  Wilts     ... 
Wharf  Field       ...  160, 

Wheeler,  John 

Mary 

Mr 

White,  Andrew 
„        Dorothy 

Robert  ...  43 

Whitborn,  John 
Whitburn,  John 

Wickens  

Thomas 

Wilberforce,  Bishop  ... 
Wilkinson,  George 

Willes,  John       

Willett,  A.  A.  S.,  Esq. 
William   Rufus 

The  Third      ... 
Wills,  Padworth 


...  144 
...  187 
...  38 

...  93 
167,  1 68 
...  159 

121 

...  125 
...  183 
...  135 

99 
...  167 

54,  89 
54,  79 
41,  42 

74 
...  115 

23 
...  105 

ii 

...  83 
...  126 
1 60,  1 86 

94 

...  100 
...  41 
173,  1 86 
...  88 

88 

...  136 
55,83 

...       122 

,  44,  122 
159,  160 
...      153 
...       47 
79 
32 

...  90 
...  130 
...  55 
...  no 

72 
1 80 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

PAGE. 

Wilton,  T  

...            64 

Wort  or  Worten 

80 

Wiltshire             

27 

Worte,  Richard... 

55,  85 

Winchester,  Marquis  of 

123,    167, 

Worting,  Edmund 

55,85 

171 

William 

...      '  ...      1  68 

Windsor,  Lord  .,, 

...         123 

Wright,  John     ... 

47 

Window    East  

7 

Wyckens,  Robert 

46 

,,          Low    ... 

8,  21,  22 

Wyes,  Eleanor  ... 

78 

in  West  Wall 

5 

Wykeham,  William, 

Bishop  of 

Windows  in  Nave 

6 

Winchester 

120 

Norman 

7 

Wylkyns,  Richard 

165 

Tudor 

...   8,  22 

Wyllaston 

43,  44 

Wise,  Matthew 

99 

,,             John 

43 

„      Widow     

...        46 

Wyntney,  Priory  of 

118 

Wokefield  Park 

...      184 

Wyse,  John 

13° 

Wollascot,  Sir  William 

...      1  68 

Woodyer,  Mr.    ... 

...      179 

Y. 

Woolford,  Stephen 

...        80 

,,            Mary 

...        80 

Yew  Sunday 

3« 

Woolhampton    .  .  . 

129 

Yew  Tree 

29 

lt                 Parish  of 

...      174 

Yew  Tree.  Le    ... 

165 

Woollen,  Burial  in 

73,88 

York,  Duke  of  ... 

34,  148 

Worcestershire 

...      172 

Young,  F. 

55 

ERRATA. 

Page  4,  Illustration  V.— Capital  should  read  Capitals. 

Page  22,  ist  line. — South  and  East  should  read  North  and  South. 

Page  27,  in  note.  — 114  should  read  112. 

Page  28,  29th  line. — Funel  should  read  Fund. 

Page  46,  in  heading. — Rectory  should  read  Rectors. 

Page  54,  in  heading. — Rector  should  read  Rectors. 

Page  105,  5th  line. — Enroaching  should  read  encroaching. 

Page  113,  last  line. — 1525  should  read  1625. 

Page  114,  28th  line. — Manors  should  read  Manor. 

Page  122,  i4th  line. — A  view  to  should  read  in  view  of. 

INDEX. 

Aldermaston  Park.— 132  should  read  152. 
Barfield. — 186  should  read  194. 
Lye   Furlong   or    Burghfield    160,     186. — should    read     Lye     Furlong 

Barfield  160,  194. 
Pannell's — should  read  Pannells. 
Parsonage  Home — should  read  Parsonage  House. 
Queen  Anne's  Bounty. — 173  should  read  178. 
Reading  Abbey.— 144  should  read  114. 
Tournay. — should  read  Townay. 


or 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

PAGE- 

Tooly,  Susanna 

81,  142 

W. 

Tooley,  Rev.  Thomas       81,  i 

39,  142, 

Waborne,  William 

...            46 

143 

Wake,  Archbishop 

...         144 

Toppeclyve,  Richard  of 

37 

Wallingford  Lands 

...         I87 

Tournay 

...       84 

Walrod,  William 

...            38 

Towney  Field     ... 

...      1  86 

Walsingham       

...         171 

Trencher,  Mary 

92 

Wantage 

...       93 

Trevitt,  James  ... 

...        54 

Ward,  John        ...             137, 

167,  1  68 

Trotton,  Co.  Sussex 

...       43 

Warren,  The 

...      159 

Trueblood 

94 

Warwick,  The  Earl  of  ... 

121 

Tull,  Abraham  ... 

93 

125 

,,    Anne 

90,  93 

Wasing  Place     

...       I83 

„    Richard     90 

,  93-  i/o 

Waterford,  County  of  ... 

...       135 

Turner 

82 

^''aters   Mr.  Chester     .  .  . 

71 

George,  alias  Littlefield 

125,  127 

Webb,  Elizabeth 

99 

John,  alias  Littlefield 

...      129 

,,         John 

...      167 

Robert,  alias  Littlefield 

...      130 

,,        Vincent 

54,  89 

Tycheborne,  Co.  Hants 

...      126 

William 

54,  79 

Amphilis    ... 

...      127 

Webley,  Robert 

41,  42 

Sir  Benjamin 

126,  127 

Weddings            

74 

Martin 

126,  127 

Wellington,  The  Duke  of 

...     115 

Nicholas    ... 

...      126 

Wells,  James      ... 

...       23 

Tyler's  Pightle  ... 

...      187 

105 

Tyth  Acre          

...      162 

\\T~o4-    T?_  J      _*-«• 

INDEX. 


Wilton,  T 

Wiltshire  

Winchester,  Marquis  of 

Windsor,  Lord 

Window    East  ... 
,,          Low    ... 

in  West  Wall 
Windows  in  Nave 
,,  Norman 

Tudor 
Wise,  Matthew 

„      Widow     

Wokefield  Park 
Wollascot,  Sir  William 
Woodyer,  Mr.    ... 
Woolford,  Stephen 

Mary 
Woolhampton    ... 

Parish  of 

Woollen,  Burial  in 
Worcestershire 


PAGE. 

PAGE. 

...           64 

Wort  or  Worten 

80 

27 

Worte,  Richard... 

55.  85 

123,    167, 

Worting,  Edmund 

55,85 

171 

William 

...      '  ...      1  68 

...         123 

Wright,  John     ... 

47 

7 

Wyckens,  Robert 

46 

8,  21,  22 

Wyes,  Eleanor  ... 

78 

5 

Wykeham,  William, 

Bishop  of 

...         6 

Winchester 

1  20 

7 

Wylkyns,  Richard 

165 

...   8,  22 

Wyllaston 

43.  44 

...        99 

,,             John 

...       43 

...        46 

Wyntney,  Priory  of 

118 

...      184 

Wyse,  John 

13° 

...      1  68 

...      179 

80 

Y. 

...       80 

Yew  Sunday 

3« 

...      129 

Yew  Tree 

29 

...      174 

Yew  Tree.  Le    ... 

165 

73,  88          York,  Duke  of  ... 

34.  U8 

...      172 

Young,  E. 

55 

FURTHER  ERRATA  IN  INDEX. 


"  A  "  Clump,  156,  157,  187  should  read  151,  156,  195. 
Amis  should  read  Anis. 
Beauchamp,  Richard — omit  12  and  122. 
Beenham  1,7,  should  read  47. 
Brightwell  Monuments — omit  "  s,"  add  10,  58. 
Brimsdon  should  read  Brunsdon. 
Briant's  Stile  should  read  Brunt's  Stile. 
Burials,  71,  75,  77,  97  should  read  71,  73,  77  to  99. 
Burman  should  read  Burnam. 
Bushey,  Ruff  House — omit  comma. 
Butler,  James — omit  54. 
Carleton,  Mary — omit. 
Cerisy,  33  should  read  32. 

Coffin  Lid,  stone,  57,  58,  59  should  read  g,  57,  58. 
Cotton  Browne,  G.  C.  should  read  Cotton  Browne,  G.  G. 
Cowdrays — omit  170,  add  113. 
Cowdray,  John,  122  should  read  113. 
Cowdray,  Maud,  12  should  read  113. 
East  Mead — omit  16. 
Ederic  should  read  Ederec. 
Edward  the  Confessor — omit  log. 
Gregorie's  House,  167  should  read  169. 
Griffith,  William— add  or  Griffyn. 
Hag  Pit,  172  should  read  174. 
Hemus,  Dr.  John — add  98,  172. 
Henry  IV. — omit  144. 
Henry  V.,  33  should  read  33,  41,  144. 
Leweir  should  read  Le  weir. 
Littlefield,  George,  86  should  read  85. 
Littlefield-,  John — omit  43,  44  ;  add  45. 
Neirunt  should  read  Neirvut. 
Odo,  104  should  read  105  ;  omit  106. 
Pad  worth  Farm — omit  160,  186. 
Add  Pad  worth  Field,  160,  194. 
Padworth  Rectory — add  178. 
Pad  worth  Warren,  172  should  read  159. 


All  pages — 103  should  read  102. 

104  ;,  ,,  103. 

105  ,,        ,,      104. 

106  ,,         ,,       105. 
„       ,,       108     ,,          ,,       107. 

109  ,,  ,,  108. 

,,       ,,       1 10  ,,  ,,  109. 

in  ,,  „  no. 

112  ,,  ,,  in. 

113  ,,  ,,  112. 
„       „       157  „  „  151- 

1 86     ,,         „       194. 
„       187     „         „       195. 

Page  33,  2ist  line. — Edward  IV.  should  read  Henry  IV. 
,,      47,  22nd  line. — Omit  all  words  from  "Those"  to   "remember"  in 

24th  line. 

71,  Note. — Water's  shuold  read  Waters's 
131,  i6th  line. — Heehfer  should  read  heckfer. 
140,  7th,  8th  and  I2th  lines. — Styles  should  read  Style. 


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